


Among Us One-shots

by ProblematicPikachu



Category: Among Us (Video Game)
Genre: All of them will appear eventually, Also lots of alternative universes, Basically every tone a story can have will be there eventually, Blood and Gore, But also, Canon-Typical Violence, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, I don't know what to tag this as, I'll update tags as I go along, I'm not tagging all the crewmates, Impostober, Lovecraftian Monster(s), M/M, Made up a ton of lore and world building on accident for this, Multi, Not Beta Read, Or at least inspired by him copying is cheap!, Shared Universe, So if this needs a tag do tell me, Space Horror, There Will Be Some, We die like crewmates, We have it all here that's why I love one-shots so much, We have two authors here!, mostly because of me but everything will have its proper warning, requests possible, speaking of there will be death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:55:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 54,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProblematicPikachu/pseuds/ProblematicPikachu
Summary: Just me and The Friend writing a few One-Shots based around the vast array of possible concepts for Among Us!There’ll be unexplainable space events, Impostors of any kind (robots, aliens, parasites and just humans cracking under the stress), made up lore for the worlds and there will be some shipping!All depending on the chapter!There isn’t really an overarching story, just bits and pieces- also plenty of AU stuff that makes slight changes to the characters depending on what AU we pick as setting. Again, all depending on the chapter in question.I’m sure anyone will find something inside of here and hey, if you don’t, I’d enjoy a request or two ;3Though I’m pretty slow.More information if you want in the first chapter!Enjoy your time reading!
Relationships: Crewmate/Crewmate (Among Us), Crewmate/Impostor (Among Us)
Comments: 202
Kudos: 207





	1. Why hello there!

Heyo!  
Just a short few information that might be of interest.  
The stories are written by two different authors, one is me, one is The Friend! We have slightly different styles, and it will be noted who wrote what in the beginning, as well as any specific warnings it might need (like if it's especially gorey or something) . It’s to be noted that I’m not a native English speaker and my grammar and word choice might be wonky at one point or another.   
I personally take One-Shots requests and The Friend might too, depending on mood, time and what’s requested! You're by the way free to request AUs or anything like that!  
Also, I do love getting feedback and criticism, even if I only write for fun and might not implement the stuff ( _I will still appreciate any well-meaning advice, I’m just sadly very lazy and lack ambition_ ).  
Not sure about The Friend though, so there’s that!  
  
Last, but not least, the One-Shot aren’t in order of things happening and partially happen in different AUs, even if the characters for the colors will mostly stay consistent.  
I really just got yeeted into a newfound love for space horror after spending five minutes thinking about Among Us as a concept and it was just so GREAT! Both when it's shitposty and when it's “played straight” without any subversion. Space is just crazy.  
There’ll be a lot of variations! I’m no good at writing spooky stuff, but it’s fun to try and fool around! But also, we have plenty of “everyone lives” AUs to balance out all the slaughter.  
This place will be for shitpost, genuine terror stories and even Impostober posts, if we write any.  
  
If anything else comes up (like frequently asked questions) I’ll update this chapter. If people happen to want a short list with the crewmates, who’s they are and short and sweet description, I’ll add it in this chapter maybe too. Or its own, as a little story about the Captain reading through their files. We'll see!  
  
Now, that was all!  
But, last but certainly not least:  
ENJOY THE SHOW!


	2. Cyan's Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cyan envies people for a merciful fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by ME!  
> D I O -  
> I mean, Failure.
> 
> No specific warnings, aside from it being a sad chapter all things considered.

There had been screaming, there had been crying- it could have only been a few hours, yet it felt like they had been spending days around this table.  
Years maybe.  
Years… when looking at the way some of them couldn’t keep standing up straight anymore. They looked old, but they weren’t… pain could twist the body in terrible ways.   
Grief made old.  
He knew that, because he hadn’t been feeling grief in decades- and they always thought he was at least a decade younger than he actually was.  
That was proof enough, right?  
Proof enough.  
Yes, they thought it was prove enough, the intense weeping from the accuser, claiming to have seen something terrible- something terrible indeed, a person just ripped in half, fully drained of every last bit of blood…  
They threw out the pink one.   
Because the pink one was quiet and was always there when you needed them and because they were a little bit grumpy and because-  
Because the accuser said so.   
Cyan had already forgot who accused who. A lot of things had happened. Two camps had formed… friends and foes.  
Someone you love cannot be evil.  
Because love was inherently good.  
And it was repelled by those that were not worthy of it.  
Right?  
Quietly the astronaut watched the outside, the pink figure slowly becoming smaller and smaller.  
 _Ejected_.  
The method of choice in that situation.  
Nobody could do it, nobody could put them out right then and there.  
 _And nobody asked Cyan to do it for them_.  
A pair of footsteps neared- it was almost loud against the completely, deafly silence of the room.   
Sure, there were muffled sobs, the was whimpering-  
But otherwise it was quiet.   
Quickly the person who approached showed up in the reflection of the window.  
“Hi Red.”   
They stepped beside him, looking out, seeing the pink blob too.  
“You voted for yourself.” The other person wasn’t asking a question. It was a simple statement.  
Cyan didn’t feel the need to respond to it.   
“They say the imposter would reveal itself when it was out there- it would rip off the suit and reveal itself… because the suit is actually restraining it. They say it’s a body without form, made out of hatred and hunger. It would turn and try to attack the ship- in a last-ditch effort- to take us ALL down. _Pink didn’t._ ”   
Just like Cyan before, Red stayed quiet.  
This didn’t bother Cyan though, he took it as encouragement to continue.   
“Do you think they’ll open their helmet? Or do you think they’ll just wait, pray, hope- until the oxygen in their tank runs out and they suffocate within their own suit?”   
“I-“  
“ _They call it a mercy, Red. They call it a mercy. Because anything can happen out there. And those who don’t call it a mercy say it’s good, because the imposter deserves to suffer triple the agony. Somehow both sides agree with each other._ I guess that’s okay though. There isn’t such a thing as mercy out there in the universe. It’s hand-crafted by us humans, with love and our souls. So I suppose no matter what- it’s a mercy what we did. _Nobody will ever be able to prove otherwise. They used to burn people alive to cleanse their soul. And that was mercy_.”   
“You don’t think they were the imposter…?”   
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen anything. And I liked them. But I also liked the accuser. Maybe they should have thrown me out instead. Maybe there would be less sadness around. It is a sad thing. What do you think we’ll eat for lunch? I haven’t had my break yet, I’m starving!” The last bit came with a quiet laugh.   
Instantly Red turned back, seemingly looking if anyone else was witnessing the conversation- but nobody was. Everyone was for themselves, dealing with their own pain.  
Hesitantly they leaned closer to Cyan.   
The bright teal from the spacesuit reflected brightly from their black screen.  
“ _Aren’t you- sad?_!”   
Softly Cyan tilted his head, a pitiful smile on his face, a smile that couldn’t be seen, but heard.  
“No. But if there were a way to change it…” He turned to look at all the people, who’s body were speaking without words, who’s movements told a story about the things going on deep inside of them, more powerful than anything the human had to offer. “… Pink would deserve it. And I wouldn’t be alone. Hah. _Gosh, I sure am egotistical, hm? Pink is dead, Orange is dead and I’m sitting here being jealous about things that I can’t have. I always think about myself, Red. I will never talk to Pink again and nothing else has happened in my world. A world has ended, but I cannot show any respect. Oh, Red. **If the imposter is still on here and still hungry, I hope he will come to see me**._”   
Red stayed quiet.  
Cyan changed topics.  
“Maybe Pink will get picked up by someone! Though most people treat those they see floating as criminals. Maybe Pink will be eaten by aliens living in the darkness between the stars. Or adopted by them! _Maybe one day the moon will crack, opening the egg, unleashing what is sleeping within and we will all envy Pink for their fate_. Strange things happen out here in space! Maybe they held some secrets. _Maybe they modified their suit to be able to send messages across space- not only within a close vicinity. Maybe they’ll tell us a story one day, when we are about to fall asleep._ ”   
At that the stomach of the neon colored astronaut growled and stepped away from the glass.  
“Where are you going?!” Red asked quickly, causing him to stop.  
“Like I said, I’m hungry! I’m going to get me something nice! Today was a rough day, I need lots of food for that. Also, I’ll go and see if I can adjust my helmet to open with the press of a single button- in case I’ll be the next one outside! And I’ll see if I can upgrade my communication reach, so if it happens I can sing for you every evening! In space, nobody will be able to stop me from singing!”   
“… that will use up your oxygen reserves faster though…”   
“So what?” Innocently the response rung through the intercom. “Anyways, I’m off eating! Do you want to come along?”  
Before they could respond, Cyan answered his own question.  
“Oh right- I almost forgot. _You don’t eat._ ”   
And with that he was gone, out of reach of the transmission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! I respond to any and all comments, so if you have anything to say, I'd love to hear it!


	3. Siren's Mist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange things happen in space.  
> Nobody ever knows what to expect. 
> 
> It's best to not get distracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter written and co-signed by Failure!
> 
> No major warnings!  
> Enjoy!

The day had passed too quickly.  
Far too quickly.  
Red was laying in his room, their body being ripped through by hunger.  
It wasn’t too bad now, but it could quickly get bad if they wouldn’t watch out-  
The whole ship was quiet.  
The silence was almost deafening.  
Wait-  
The silence-  
The machines seemed to be quieter than usual.  
Now, that was possible, if-   
If someone changed the ship to manual.  
 _Maybe for a late checkup? Pink was rather paranoid when it came to the machines, hanging around the reactor and the oxygen unreasonably often_.  
But that would mean-  
 _That would mean someone was out past ordered bedtime.  
…  
…  
… alone.  
_… _  
_No. _  
_The opportunity was too good. _  
_Quickly they moved towards the vent in their room, slipping through the cracks and out in another place. _  
_Nobody would hear that. _  
_Nobody would suspect anything. _  
_It was- _  
Somewhat eerie… around here_. _  
_The machines sounding suffocated, far in the back. _  
_Why would someone switch it to manual so late? _  
_What could need repair that badly? _  
_Where was the other person? _  
_Checking admin, Red quickly found the answer. _  
Inside of the main control room._

 _Where you could steer the ship.  
_ Huh. _  
_Quickly they made their way over, joining- _  
The Captain_. _  
_Okay- _  
_This wasn’t good. _  
_But frankly?

It wasn’t BAD either.  
  
 _The Captain was becoming more and more suspicious of them and Cyan._  
Cyan might be innocent, but that would hardly matter if the truth came out.  
Maybe now it was the time to-  
  
“Red.”   
“… _yes Captain?”_   
“… be quiet.”   
“Wh-“   
Looking out of the giant window before them, past the Captain’s night blue suit, they saw something giant and white in front of them, slowly coming closer.  
“… i-is that… fog?”   
“ _Shhhh_.”   
Slowly they moved forwards and inside of the weird cloud of dust and water and- who knows what. It was a clear white in coloration, though if Red focused, they could spot little particles. Crystals?   
_What was this made of?_!  
Every system was currently going crazy, yet it made no sound.  
The only reason Red even realized it was because he shortly glanced down, being told they were going roughly three times the speed of light. _That was of course completely impossible_.  
  
… right?

There was nothing to be seen outside, but the Captain kept his hands on the rudder, as though trying to balance out some invisible force pushing the ship to the side.  
Around them the fog seemed to move, slowly flooding to the side, twirling, even creating minor vortexes, as though they were somehow underwater and not inside of the depths of space.  
Nothing broke the silence, until-

Duud.

Duud.

Duud.

“Captain, there’s a ship in front us to the left-“   
“No.”   
“But-“   
“Didn’t I tell you to be quiet?”   
_“It’s sending a distress call!”  
_ The little dot on the monitor had changed colors, making louder and faster noises now that they came closer. It wasn’t uncommon that some ships were registered as obstacles first, and only afterwards a transmission being received- it depended on the model and the ship in question, both receiving and sending. _  
_Especially escape pods had a large connection call range, but ships were usually more easily recognized as obstacles. _  
_The distress call was ripping the silence into short pieces, like the beating of a more and more terrified heart. _  
_Red’s hunger was almost forgotten. _  
_“They- are probably lost in the fog! We have to-“ _  
_  
“ ** _SHHH_**.” _  
_  
For another moment Red remained silent, albeit everything BUT calm, watching the ship slowly pass them to the side- _  
_Soon they would be out of reach to help and- _  
 ~~It was waste of good canon fodder, of good food that they could take while also remaining less suspicious-~~  
_ Their train of thoughts were interrupted as the sound changed.

_ Duud dud _

_ Duud dud _

_ Duud dud _

Disbelieving the Imposter leaned over.  
 _Two ships?  
_ Wait, that was- unlikely at best.  
 _An ambush?!  
Space pirates-  
_Or wait-

**_ Duud dud duud dud duud _ **

**_ Duud dud duud dud duud _ **

**_ Duud dud duud dud duud _ **

**_Duud dud duud dud duud_**  
  
Suddenly more and more neon green points flared up on the radar, all around them, THINGS, big enough to be registered-  
Rushing to the window, Red tried to catch a glimpse at ANYTHING that was beyond them, anything that could give a hint what this weird fever dream was-  
It felt so TIGHT, so claustrophobic, they couldn’t see-  
Before them an asteroid suddenly showed up, only turning visible when it just was about to hit the ship-  
Calmly the captain maneuvered the ship to the side, then the exact amount back.  
 _Red could see how clenched his muscles were, by looking at his hands alone._  
Everywhere, the dots, the noises.  
Oh god-  
One of the dots started moving along them, some directly towards them, after them-  
There WAS something out there-  
More asteroids became visible, first as shadows, then as fully formed rocks, gently floating towards them. The Captain kept carefully moving around, not twitching a muscle.  
But-  
“ _If there are asteroids in here… why are you so sure none of the distress calls are real?_ ”   
It was a quiet whisper, maybe the Captain didn’t even hear it.  
There was no response.  
Again he looked out, into the gently whirling nothingness.  
  
How long have they been in here?!  
Minutes?  
Seconds?  
Hours?

Red couldn’t tell anymore.   
They were getting dizzy, trying to capture the world outside, their body telling them they were moving and the outside telling him they were standing still-  
There were shadows around them, moving into the most obscure shapes- cities, asteroids, planets, patterns, _people, oh god, it looked like there were people floating around them_ -  
Another shadow, but this time-

“ _Captain_?” Red shortly looked at the radar, then outside and upwards the curved glass. “ _I- I think that’s a real ship._ ”   
Slowly the shadow moved over them.  
“C- _captain_?!”   
They turned, but the Captain didn’t acknowledge them, his body the same. Was he even- still there?  
The shadow moved even further over them, creeping forward inch by inch, like the shadow of a hawk over a little flying birdie. When they looked up from down here, they could even recognize- lights of windows from up above and from the engine. It was GIANT, a luxury cruiser made for thousands of people. And it felt like… like it was looking right at them.   
“ ** _Captain? Please, I’m_** -”

Suddenly and abruptly the lights of the strange ship turned on, flooding the control room with a blinding yellow shine, causing Red to try and shield their eyes from it. It burned terrible and it didn’t feel friendly.

AND IT KEPT GETTING BRIGHTER-  
“ ** _CAPTAIN IT’S COMING DOWN ON TOP OF US. PLEASE, WE HAVE TO CHANGE COURSE, IT WILL CRASH ONTO US, IT WILL CRUSH US_** -”   
  
Without a warning, the tip of their ship broke out of the fog.

 _Everything went dark once more_.

For a few seconds Red stood there, flabbergasted, then they rushed over to the windows at the side, trying to locate the ship that was above them just a moment before-

 _Nothing_.

Slowly they turned, their hands were shaking.   
“That… _that couldn’t have been an illusion_ -”   
Blue was fixing up the navigation system and the machines started to hum gently once more, taking over the job to steer the ship through the long dark.  
For another moment he remained silent, before turning to Red, moving past them.  
Only for a second he hesitated, putting a hand on their shoulder.  
 _“… go to bed, Crewmate. I don’t want to catch you wandering the ship at night ever again. Understand? Especially not alone_.”  
And with that he let go and moved outside, the doors closing behind him.

A little later Red stood at the back window of the ship, watching the fog becoming smaller and smaller behind them.  
They weren’t flying very fast right this moment, so it was easy to watch it.  
Now it looked more like a cloud, really.  
Unmoving and fluffy.  
Maybe even pretty.  
Wait-  
Something-  
A ship just broke out of it!  
Woah, so there WAS someone behind them!  
Quickly they took out their binoculars, trying to see the name of the other ship, maybe even who was piloting it-

 _At the rudder stood a blue Captain. On his back a long, bladed weapon, glowing with heat.  
Beside him, pressed against the window, staring outside, was a monster, a formless mass of blood, with a single, pale eye, ripped open widely, filled with terror_.

Slowly Red put down their binoculars.  
Then they turned and went to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah that was fun. I want to play more around with the concept of "space events". We'll see what the future holds!   
> Hope you guys enjoyed!


	4. Bleeding Gears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does an Imposter spot another Imposter...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter written by The Friend!   
> You instantly see the difference, because it's high quality, long and actually uses proper spacing ;3

The radio sullenly buzzes in and out within their workspace of The Communications Room. Several numbers, many voices fade in and out of the static. The three monitor screens sit on their desks against the walls, one for every wall, blip in and out of display, with the back wall having the doorway and the main blackbox recorder. 

The floor has simple, striped cyan carpet though, compared to the rather loud and quite  _ tacky _ metal panning that the halls and most of the other rooms have. 

The silly wheelie chair is scooted aside as the papers are scanned and uploaded into the fax machine on the left shelf.

The loud,  _ vvvvvrrrrsht _ of the feed is being processed right now as the red gloves press the number input for the timestamp. 

_ 8:45 P.M _

Everyone stops their duties and goes into their sleeping quarters at nine. 

Crewmate Red has twenty minutes left to spare if they want to pull off any sabotages, or even  _ try _ to shoot the goal of taking someone down for the count. 

It's kind of hard to do, though with nine other Crewmates running around on the ship. 

The papers in the fax machine are now being uploaded onto the computer screen next to it, green numbers reading out as timestamps of intermissions received from Polus, the planet this ship is heading to. 

The research station there is expecting The Skeld to land there once they pass through the space station as a checkpoint of sorts, Mira HQ shouldn't be that far away. 

_ Just a few more months. _ They remind themselves.

That should keep them going. 

Four months, they're planning to take two people out in that span of time. It won't be  _ too  _ suspicious if they keep the murders spaced out, and they'll get away with it scotch-free once they reach Mira HQ.

The spacestation is where everyone docks on and off at, almost like an interstellar airport. They'll be shuffled with a new Crew at no time. 

Fresh faces, a clean slate with new people. No one would be the wiser. 

But who should they go after first… ?

Maybe someone who isn't so much in the eyes of others, with one of the more common jobs like Electrician… or Mechanic… The Crew can do without one of those, right? 

They need to have more important ones like Doctors and Navigators to stay around, so those are off the list of possible hits. 

Ten Crewmates, and fourteen rooms on the ship.

They hiss under their helm. Too many people in their opinion, how ridiculous. 

Red doesn't like it very much. 

Too many people, but not enough going on between them. Nothing  _ good _ happening. The dinner hour should come along any time now at the thirty minute mark, but the food that these  _ "humans"  _ eat though isn't enough for someone like Red. 

So what's going on, really? Well, Red isn't really a  _ human  _ to start. Food isn't sustainable for something so squishy like them. At least the spacesuit keeps them in check from going everywhere in a mess. 

But they  _ need  _ more than just water. Water? Yeah well that's  _ good,  _ and is in surplus amounts but they need the minerals, and  _ vitamins.  _

Blood is the answer to that, but robbing The Medbay would be (obviously) noticed of any shortage or  _ "random uses of donations" _ , according to Purple, the Crewmate who's in charge of that room.

So, the next best thing is getting to someone who  _ has  _ blood yourself. But the hard part is making an alibi for it. 

This is what has been on their mind this night, as they finished the last of their Tasks. Everyone has a set amount of stuff to do every day before the day ends, that way the ship itself doesn't fall apart while the finished Tasks keep it in check. 

Red knows how to be responsible, surely as the fax machine  _ beeps  _ it's completion. 

_ There.  _ They thought. All they need to do now is upload it to the HQ in The Admin Room, just two rooms and a hall away. 

They're hungry, and they need to do something about it. 

Just, keep your eyes down on the floor as Red's footsteps  _ clack clack clack _ on the metal flooring.

Nobody  _ should _ be in The Admin Room right now, and they'll have free access to the ship's map. 

They quickly make their way through the slightly darkened room of Storage, where their destination is only up ahead. They strain their hearing to catch any other footsteps, some down to the left probably in Electrical. That place always needs some sort of supervision every day, something somehow  _ always  _ breaks on it's own that most of the Crewmates need to reattach.

The more quiet, mechanical hum of the computer table-screen reaches Red as they turn into the doorway.

The neon green screen and holographic Floorplan of The Skeld is displayed from the table-computer in the middle of the room. The wooden floors are soft in the odd green light. 

The chairs lined up on the left wall don't seem to be occupied from Red's quick glance. 

A quick turn to the smaller touchscreen on the same wall and confirm the transfer to HQ. The Screen displays two big files, the upload time in a bar underneath it and a little astronaut running in between the files with the papers in hand. It's a fun little thing to watch while Red waits.

_ "Upload time: 2 hrs, 25 mins, 3 mins, 5 secs…"  _

Normally it only takes around a handful of seconds for it to upload. This shouldn't be all that different. 

The wood clinkers behind them and for a moment, they almost snapped. The way how  _ quiet  _ today has been so far is starting to get to them. 

They look over their shoulder, and see the farthest chair has been occupied for a  _ while now. _

How can something so bright not be noticed by even someone like-

"Hey there Red!" 

Cyan. What a  _ bright color.  _ He and Yellow can be found even in a blackout, it's surprising that Red has turned a blindeye to The Computer Manager. 

"Hello, you." They say softly. It's not like they need to raise their voices in here.

The voices of these two speak through the intercom of their helmets. Crewmate's voices tune into each other based on range, just like how voices carry in a room.

The closer you are to a person, the easier it is to hear them in the feed.

"What are you doing in here?" He asks loftily, as he turns his chair a little to face Red. 

"I'm uploading the conversations and transfers we've gotten today from HQ, although the research base on Polus hasn't really got anything good to talk about."

The little flowerpot that somehow always sits perfectly on Cyan's head holds a pretty flower. It's a nice red with floppy petals, and a yellow center. Red guesses it's a Geranium. 

"Oh, that's all you really do." Cyan says almost teasingly. "Record stuff and see if it's needed or not, why not come over and talk to one of us for a change?" 

He spins in the wheelie chair in a lazy circle, the flowerpot not caring about gravity as it stays planted on his brightly colored helmet. 

"That's my  _ job."  _ They sassed him. "What are  _ you _ doing here." 

"Monitoring computer data. I'm going through the camera rolls from last night to see if anything happened while we were sleeping,  _ you know, like I always do."  _

_ Shit. _ The slight attitude coming from him is well deserved after Red's tone with Cyan. He might not be the brightest out of everyone, but at least he knows what he's doing for the most part. 

And _definitely_ _knows how to stay quiet_ , Red hasn't noticed him at all until Cyan greeted them first. They wonder why he doesn't stay quiet when with everyone else though, he damn well sure knows how to talk.

"Well, you do that then." They snipped, making their way over the map. They need to see where everyone is at before making a decisive kill. 

Now, this is where thinking comes in. Normally, going after the person who's the farthest away is a good play.

But it's also handy to have someone nearby to walk in on the dead body, so that way someone  _ else _ would see them go into the room and think that  _ they  _ killed that person, and not Red.

Three people tend to be common for a body report. And if Red can get away with this right,  _ four  _ people, and Red wouldn't even be one of them. 

It looks like someone is in the Lower Engine Room, but a downside to this map is that it doesn't say  _ who.  _ Just a little face that pops up in the room itself on the map. Red hopes that it's not of someone of high standing, like Blue. 

Killing The Captain would be a  _ grave  _ mistake. 

Two faces are in The Reactor, the room above it. This should be good enough if they make it there in time. With Cyan seeing them in here at The Admin Room, they have a perfect coverup with him as a witness. 

The little number above the top right corner of the map blinks the current time. 

_ 8:56 P.M _

Four minutes. Can they really pull that off? 

If they use the vents in the floor, sure, but they have to be careful not to get caught jumping in and out of them. Damn!

"Hey there, you know. The Captain is going to lock the doors early tonight I heard, with how cold things are getting in this starfield." Cyan side-comments casually, pushing his wheelie chair in as he shuts the computer screen he was using off for tonight. 

"Has he?" They asked. Red hasn't heard of that. 

"Uh huh, so I guess you should be going!" He answers sunnily. "This is  _ my _ workspace, so I should be the last one out." 

Crap. Well there goes their plan. A plan made too late. 

They…  _ could  _ just kill Cyan right here, but everyone would notice that a bright color would be missing as everyone walks down the halls to the sleeping chambers. Someone like  _ that _ is easy to notice, and even  _ easier _ to see that he's gone.

Bright blue-green that doesn't really know how to keep his voice down? With a  _ bright _ red flower in a pot for a hat to boot?

How can you forget something like that? 

"Alright, I'm going, I'm doing it." Red sighs, making their turn out the door as they hear Cyan walk behind them, clicking the locks of the doorframe shut as the door itself slides closed. 

The lights in The Skeld are starting to dim down, and soon The Administrator would be making their rounds around the ship to make sure everyone is out of the halls as the groundskeeper of the ship, and is the last one to go to bed. Their black fedora hat blends in well with their gray suit, and even  _ more _ so in the slow darkness. 

Now Red is hungry  _ and  _ tired, today has been spectacularly thrown to the trash. 

_ Bullshit Early Call.  _ Red thought grumpily, their footsteps heavily  _ clunking  _ up the hall, and into The Cafeteria. 

_ Blue couldn't even at least email me a message about it on my computer. I had a whole plan going!  _

Green is there, cleaning up the scraps of a yummie sandwich with his little crewmate sitting on top of his head. Light Green, or  _ "Lime"  _ was also sitting with him, the black tophat making a very bold fashion choice with the almost  _ neon _ color of his spacesuit. Yellow was barely a blip in Red's eyesight as they went down the left hall into The Medbay, and a flash of orange following. The Mechanic went in there too.

Purple can be heard a little over the rest of the voices, he must be upset with the foot traffic he's getting into his workroom.

Pink and White are nowhere to be seen, but Red guesses that they're in their rooms already.

"It looks like everyone is almost gone already." Cyan remarks behind them quietly. 

"Mmh." They don't really have anything to add onto that about The Cafeteria, they can see it themselves just fine. They look behind themselves over their shoulder a little, trying to catch Cyan's eyes.

They only see their own red helmet looking back.

The helmet visors on everyone's uniforms are made as a one-way mirror. Nobody can see each other's faces with their helmets on, for the surface of it reflects everything back at them. Looking into someone's visor only shows everything else around them. 

They can look  _ out _ of their helmets, but not  _ into _ one. 

Cyan doesn't seem to have a problem with this, not really minding the short glance he got from Red.

He deviates from following behind them, taking a short turn to the right hall instead into The Weapons Room, where Red can hear Blue and Black talk to each other. Cyan's silent departure was almost unnoticed by Red if it wasn't for his color flashing past the edge of their vision. 

_ Colors…  _ they thought. They're so bright, and so  _ many of them.  _ Red doesn't really know what to think of it, seeing that they're one of the  _ "brighter"  _ ones around. 

"Hey Red." Someone closer to them says, turning to see Green throw his trash down the chute. His little crewmate is sitting contently on his head, simply enjoying the view. 

Red doesn't understand why Green has brought his son with him onto the ship, but apparently humans celebrate holidays at work,  _ "Bring your family to work day" _ is apparently just a thing humans do.

"Hello Green." They greet back, watching Green pull the lever down to the airlock of the trash chute, the glass windows on the back wall showing the silent stars and the junk of this week being chucked out into the void. 

Their thoughts already begin to drift off to the stars outside. 

It must be  _ cold  _ out there, if it's starting to even affect them inside the ship. They don't want to think about what it must be like to get thrown out there with the trash.

"Can you believe it's only been two months?" The Navigator asks. "It doesn't feel like it  _ at all. _ It feels so much longer than that."

"Yeah…" it feels,  _ weird  _ to think about it. To think that Time can feel different and be misjudged somehow. It's… not fun. What would happen if they lost track of the time measurement they use on the ship? If something breaks in the mainframe that causes that, what would they do? 

It's starting to get hard to breathe with the helmet on, taking a step back from the window. 

They don't like thinking about that.

"It's probably because we're not orbiting a Sun or anything, our sense of time is structured without that every morning on the ship. Having something missing like that makes it feel a little…  _ off _ in my opinion."

"That makes sense." Green agrees. "Familiarity doesn't feel so familiar when something you're used to isn't there anymore… or if it's something you don't know of altogether. New things can be like that sometimes." 

"What are you two nerds  _ talking _ about?" A new voice buzzes through, the intercom of the helmets pick up the voice more clearly as Orange walks down the other hall to join them. 

"Nothing." Red says almost on instinct, not really giving much other thought about that. To them, what they talked about with Green was registered as smalltalk.

"We're talking about the concept of time." Green clarifies more to Orange. 

"Huh." He deadpanned. "Yeah, cool."

"So?" Green inquired in a silly tone. "What have you been up to?" 

"Purple's got his lid flipped about something." Orange huffs. "Don't know what though, but he seems pretty  _ uppity  _ with Yellow." Red sighed, side-eyeing the outside of the window since the other two are on their left. They know how "uppity" and snappy Purple can get. 

"Oh, don't be like that about him." Green chides lightly. "He's rude sometimes I know, but give him some credit. Everyone is kind of tired right now." 

Orange "Mmh"-ed in return, and Red can almost  _ feel _ his distaste from hearing that. "Purple  _ always _ seems like he's tired all the time. I wonder if he ever gets any real sleep." 

"He has to." Green said firmly. "His job is too complicated to be done on half sleep.  _ Everyone's  _ jobs are too complicated to be done on half sleep, we would see it and know right away if he's not taking care of himself." 

Their voices start to get jumbled together as Red slowly stops paying attention to them, their thoughts aimlessly bouncing several topics in their head.

Purple always is no fun, but they're probably the most reliable and useful person on the ship. Red knows not to disrespect the person who can keep you alive. They can very well kill you at the same time with it, by simply  _ not doing anything _ when you need their help the most. 

Purple may be one of the more harsher Crewmates on board, but they're  _ respectable  _ for the right reasons. 

Red wonders if everyone else sees them as respectable too. They've been doing a good job too, right?

They hope so. 

Running radios and camera feeds…. conversing with the others on the call who may as well be almost unreachable from their point of view. 

It's only been two months and already it feels like they would never see the ground again. 

Things are starting to get a little fuzzy feeling, and they wavered on their feet for a moment. 

They can feel their body start to unsolidify in their suit. Getting the shivers, all aching and hot. 

_Shit._ They're starting to go under the effects of exhaustion. 

_ God, come on. Not now… _ This is  _ really _ not what they needed. Red can't go soft right now, not when there's like what, two, four people here with them? 

They've got to get going. 

They walk back, away from The Cafeteria window, and away from Orange and Green.

"Hey buddy, you okay?" Green asks, noticing Red's reflection leaving the glass, turning around to see them.

"No, no I'm fine. Don't worry, I guess I need to go to bed, huh?" They laugh nervously, trying to play their anxious worry off. 

"Hm." Orange mumbles, keeping half an ear on Red. 

_ Great.  _ Red thought,  _ nobody seems to really be paying attention, this is perfect for me to leave.  _

They make their way out, quickly passing Yellow in the left hall as they focus on not letting their knees buckle down underneath their walking.

Once everyone is here, things should calm down for the night. They're still waiting on like what, two other Crewmates? Black and Blue should be done talking by now. 

A sharp whistle cuts through the helmet's intercom on their left. 

"Hey Red! Get over here." 

It's Purple, and he doesn't sound happy. 

They lift their gaze from off the floor and see Purple standing in the doorway of The Medbay, his white lab coat contrasting brightly with his dark purple helmet and seafoam green shirt. The six-point crown on his own helmet is a shiny golden yellow that compliments his purple helmet and suit underneath his clothes.

"What is it, Purple." They asked, their tone of voice showing that they don't really want an answer.

"Come inside." 

Ah. Well, hm. First of all, they  _ don't _ like how Purple is talking to them, but then again Green  _ did  _ say that he got into a bit of an argument with Yellow. 

They eye the other person, seeing Purple step back into the medical wing on his own, assumingly thinking that Red is following along. 

He, of course, sees that Red is  _ not  _ doing that, and makes a hand gesture to come along. Red retires and shuffles inside, hearing the muffled sounds of heart monitors and something bubbling in glass. The ocean blue sheets of the beds are distracting to Red, and for a moment they contemplated sitting down on one. 

"There you are." Purple's voice fuzzes through. His voice has a particularly  _ weird, _ extra static-y sound quality to it compared to everyone else, despite Orange's tune-check showing that there's nothing broken in his helmet.

"Don't you know that it's been your turn for a blood test for a while now? Why do you have to be so difficult to contact." His tired, moody attitude just sours Red even more, it's not like they're feeling like trash themselves.

"I'm a busy person. You should know that by now." They snapped. "I work on the other side of the ship, you  _ know  _ how time consuming it is to walk the thing!" 

_ "You're  _ a Broadcaster! Didn't you even get my emails?! You WORK in Communications, trying to get you should not be this hard!"

Purple's own voice is starting to get testy. 

"That's not my fault!" They bit back. "You're dragging me in here  _ now,  _ when we're all supposed to go to bed? Don't you know how to schedule these kinds of things if they're so important?!"

"I  _ did  _ three days ago! I sent a message a week in advance and you never said anything!"

"I never  _ got  _ anything from you!"

The clipboard is roughly smacked down onto the desk in the corner, as Purple stands there with his back turned, one hand up on his helmet as the two of them stand there recollecting themselves. 

That- that was  _ not _ fun. The spat between Red and Purple has gotten uncharacteristically  _ loud _ for the two of them, and at this point Red feels like they might just collapse onto the floor. 

The weight of their space suit definitely feels like it.

Someone else sounds themselves down the hall.

Red doesn't really know what to do at this point. 

"Hello, Captain." Purple's voice is still tense, but at least he's attempting pleasantries. 

"The two of you know of the early call, do you?" They quietly mumble in agreement to that. 

"Why then, may I ask that the two of you are in here? We should all be getting downstairs." Blue's white officer cap sits on the navy blue of his own color. 

Red feels terrible, The Captain basically walked in on the two of them fighting each other. 

"It's nothing." Purple answers, right as Red was about to say something. 

"Excuse us on the sound, sir. But I'm sure to get the both of us on time tomorrow morning." 

_ "Tomorrow morning? _ You're planning to stay in here?" His deep voice questions one of the more loyal Crewmates on this ship. 

"Perhaps something of overtime, the both of us have to get this done. I know the bloodwork  _ should _ have been submitted earlier but we're working on getting the complications fixed right now." 

"You  _ know  _ how dangerous separation is." The Captain reminded Purple firmly. "Security calls are becoming more frequent now over the past few weeks from other ships. This is why we work cohesively  _ in a group. _ Turning an eye might be the death of someone."

"I'm sure we'll be fine." Purple remarks. 

Red themselves haven't really said anything at all, for one is that they're far too tired and two, they don't really have anything to add onto it in the first place. 

They  _ know  _ that this is kind of their fault, through glitchy computer systems or just sheer forgetfulness. But they know that there isn't anything they  _ can  _ say to excuse them from something that should have been done days ago. 

"Red-" Blue's voice is directed to them instead of acknowledging Purple's response. "You're the last one that needs to go through, right?" 

"That's-" Red tried to recall anything that can help them. The last person they saw going up the hall into The Storage from their Connections Room was Cyan himself, so they assume that he was the last person before Red in The Medbay. 

"Yes sir."

Blue shifts on his feet to face them better. "Do you think you will be okay in here?" 

_ As in if I don't trust in Purple or something?  _ They thought, surprised at the question. They can feel Purple's own silence weigh in, as if he was asking himself the same question. 

_ It's not like I have a choice.  _ They thought gloomily. Purple has got them down like a trap card. He's not going to let Red get away with avoiding a checkup again for a second time. 

"Yes, this shouldn't be postponed much further. It'll be taken care of tonight." They confirm. They may as well resign and throw their hat into the ring now, and come up with a plan to deal with Purple tomorrow. 

Nobody would know of their blood information if it doesn't get released. Perhaps they can fake it somehow, or falter it. False positives are a thing. They'll figure something out, they're  _ hoping to,  _ for Red is banking on this choice to carry them out for this procedure. 

"Very well." Blue says, although his voice still holds something off in it. Perhaps he doesn't fully believe them, who knows. 

"The two of you try to keep it down then if you'll be up here all night. The lockdown will last until six a.m. by The Administrator." He debriefs to the two of them. "I expect to see you two and the papers done tomorrow in the morning." 

He turns to leave, as the footsteps of Black comes closer to the same hall that Blue is walking into. 

"Goodnight." He wishes them, the two other Crewmates mumbles their replies as Black does his job and shuts the door with a lock. 

The ambient noises in the now dark room start to now reclaim the silence that was heavily in the air. The mechanical whirring of the scanner still hums away in it's corner, as one of the lab equipment chuffs out a puff of steam after finalizing a set of vials. 

Red stands there, looking around as Purple walks back over to the desk and cleans off it's surface from the spare papers laying all over it. The silence between them  _ now _ feels like holding up a gun to one another. 

Anything said will pull the trigger and can cause  _ anything  _ to happen, the both of them know of the danger they just put themselves into. 

They're isolated from any other type of help until morning where the doors open. 

Red doesn't want to sit down, despite their body wanting to rest. They feel like they're going to melt down onto the floor in a sad puddle, if it wasn't for their suit and helmet containing them like a jar.

"Red." 

Purple's voice stands out  _ much  _ more than of the other sounds in The Medbay. 

"We all know what needs to be done here." His voice is slow, but deliberate. 

"Come here." 

Red doesn't move. They refuse to take their eyes off of him. They stay in their spot on the other side of the room, at the foot of the bed that's closest to the door. 

They don't think they  _ can _ move, their legs about to lose their consistency altogether. 

_ "Red."  _ He says more firmly. Purple takes off his yellow crown and places it on the desk, before beginning to walk his way over. 

"Is there a problem?" 

_ "No."  _ They rasp out. "Thats, I'm fine." They begin to backstep as Purple begins to walk into close quarters. 

"Then remove your helmet." 

_ They can't do that.  _

_ Everything will fall apart if they do.  _

They don't respond to that either, their back against the wall. The backpacks that every Crewmate wears on their uniform is standard attire, and aside from carrying stuff around, the matching colors help The Crew identify each other when walking by. 

Red forgot to take theirs off. 

Their silence isn't bought by Purple, his dark blue visor showing nothing behind the glass. No face, no clues, no intentions. Just the reflection of the area around him and Red staring back. 

Red can't move. They don't  _ want to.  _

_ They have nowhere else to go. _

"I don't- think I can do that right now." They sheeped. It's getting more obvious that Red is becoming less dominant in the problem. 

"Shouldn't you think that this should be done in the morning? When the lights are  _ on?"  _

Purple gets even closer, starting to stand  _ over  _ Red.

"That doesn't matter here anymore." 

The wall behind them clanked loudly as their helmet is pushed against it. They can't see out of their visor due to how Purple is holding them, his hands would be "covering" their eyes if the helmet wasn't on.

The alarm in Red's head finally went off.

They shrill, scrabbling their legs on the ground as Purple continues to walk over them, stepping down on one of their knees and forcing them to the floor. 

Red violently grapples Purple's helmet with their gloved hands, trying everything they've got left in them to stop him. Scratch him, shove him off- just  _ anything.  _

But the effects of exhaustion and self-starvation already had been bearing down on Red  _ far _ before they entered The Medbay. They're no better than being bedsick with a fever. 

The weight of the other person refuses to let Red get off from floor and the doorframe, before feeling his hands shift over their visor and whiplashing them to the right like opening a bottle cap. 

Red's neck made no sound from the event. The only thing that changed is that they're now simply looking into the back of their own helmet, which to be honest, is  _ worse.  _

Not only are they pinned down against the wall, but can't see anymore either.

The weight sitting down on their chest shifts, confused?  _ Surprised, even.  _ Shouldn't something happen after breaking someone's neck like that? 

That's of course, if Red had any  _ bones to begin with.  _

It was only a second of nothing happening, before Red threw out their own hand in a blind hit, colliding against something  _ hard.  _

A muffled, almost  _ hollow thunk  _ came out of that, and Red heard Purple cough from it in the shared intercom. 

It felt like punching a trashcan. 

They try again, swinging open into a miss.

Purple grabs onto Red's dress suit in the confusion, and slams them down against the floor underneath him. It does the job of knocking the air out of Red, as they drag their hands down the white sleeves of his labcoat, their fingers utterly useless in their gloves. 

They hiss breathlessly, panicking like a bat out of hell. Red doesn't have any energy or strength left in them to overpower someone like this, feeling the heavy material of their backpack digging into their back against the floor.

"Get off,  _ get off- get off of me damn you!"  _ Red wheezes desperately to Purple, and makes another attempt to hit him off. 

Their hand misses again, feeling the fabric of the labcoat's collar brush past their knuckles as they overshot his shoulder. 

_ "Be quiet!"  _ He sheers back in a hushed tone, as he grabs onto Red's helmet again. 

But instead of twisting it, he  _ raises it.  _

Their hands grab onto his wrists and try to stop them, but it's pointless.

The cold air of The Skeld stabs into the burning surface of their face. All of the sounds of The Medbay are clean, and the darkness is only sweet enough to fade out only by a few shades from being completely blind.

The bright red helmet tumbles aside on the metal floor. 

Red is exposed. 

Their face looks around wildly at where they are, their one, only eye a sharp, colorless black and white. Their slimy, sticky wet body is already spilling out around them from the collar of their suit, a dark, horribly  _ thick  _ and  _ almost gelatinous dark red.  _ Their own face is in several different shades and colors. 

They look more of something like a  _ cell.  _ Their head is translucent, the darker and more thicker substance making of what might be considered as  _ "skin"  _ over it, but just looking at them you can see right into the center of their face. 

It's filled with a bright, pure saturated red color, and a white orb is in the center of it all, outlined with two other layers of hot pink and dark purple enveloped around it. Their mouth is set with thick, large and sharp teeth, and their orange tongue can be spotted as they try to recatch their breath. 

Cold. It's so  _ cold  _ in The Medbay. Their overheating body temperature made this  _ very  _ clear. They're in shock, shaking underneath Purple. 

Whatever Purple's reaction is, they wouldn't know.  _ His  _ helmet is still on. 

He's not even doing anything. 

He's just…  _ silent.  _ His hands taken aback, half-recoiled off of Red as he stays put, sitting down on their waist. Is he watching them? What's he  _ thinking?  _

He slowly reaches down, and gingerly holds Red's face in his cupped hands. The material of his gloves feel slightly coarse to their skin. It feels so…  _ weird.  _

Red is still intimidated by Purple, and is  _ very  _ scared, but now it's…  _ confusing  _ too. 

Why isn't Purple making the move to kill them? How come he hasn't  _ done  _ anything yet? It feels like they're being…  _ studied.  _

_ Examined.  _ Something more of a  _ scientist  _ would do compared to a doctor, tilting Red's head one side, and then another, seemingly viewing them like a showpet on display. They lay there, limp and still like a disjointed toy. 

He leans closer down to them, as if to say something. 

Red can't hear him, though. Their bright, glossy helmet buzzes sadly on the metal floor a few arm lengths away. 

Purple seems to have noticed this, and held up one finger to signal  _ "wait."  _ Red did just so, and waited as he leaned back, looking down on Red as Purple scratched behind his neck. They looked around while he did this, their one eye taking in the surroundings of The Medbay a little better, their thoughts starting to become a bit sparse. 

They can't really think much anymore, despite basic motor functions being  _ critical _ right now. They're…. Red's just  _ too tired.  _

Something  _ schiffs  _ above them, like the pressure of a steamcooker going off.

"Red, look at me."

Red does. 

Purple looks down in return, his right eye watching them as the other one is somehow missing on the glass surface of his digital screen. It's a simple, white oval that's watching Red. The heartbeat of Purple is displayed behind his eye like a monitor screen of a hospital bed. 

The rest of his face is split in half with the colors of white and gray. 

The lower half of his face below his screen is a soft slate color, while the rest of his head is in a clean white covered in scratches, that looks like it's been put in place like puzzle pieces. 

The metal shows thin lines where they connect together from the center of his head and the corners of his screen, like sewing seams. His neck sports something like a metal brace, with another line going down the right side of it, making Red think of it like a handcuff instead of a thing worn for support. A metal clamp of somesort, maybe. 

Humans don't wear things like that. 

Red continues to look at Purple. 

_ Humans don't look like that.  _

The more of it starts to settle in their horribly tired mind. 

Humans aren't like this. Humans  _ shouldn't be like this. This isn't human of Purple.  _

_ Nothing about Purple is human.  _

Everything is starting to click together in a sluggish manner. 

How Purple doesn't seem to be fully rested and  _ always _ tired, how his voice always sounds so fuzzy and low-quality through his helmet's intercom, how punching his chest felt like hitting an empty rain bucket under his spacesuit, and how he feels so  _ heavy  _ sitting on top of Red.

His face only confirms the theory that Red is patchily putting together. 

Humans and their bodies aren't made of metal.

Metal is made for  _ machines.  _

_ Purple is a machine.  _

_ A machine that can think, feel, and act on it's own. _

Red stares, trying to sit up underneath Purple on their elbows as they come to the realization that their Crewmate is a  _ robot. _

He watches them during this thought process, his expression showing that he's really not all that surprised in Red coming to terms.

"Red." Purple asserts. Red slowly looks up to him as he gets their attention firmly in his grasp. "We both know what has happened, do we."

"That's- that… that, No I-" 

Purple leans down a little more on Red as they try to put together something to say. 

_ "Listen  _ to me." He commands in a low voice. 

"I  _ know _ what you are. You  _ know  _ what happens to Crewmates who are liars. They don't last very long."

Red begins to squirm again under his weight as he continues to talk.

"As the one who works in the medical field in this Crew, I am  _ much  _ more credible than you in an argument. In the eyes of others, would  _ you  _ cast out the only doctor on this ship?" He leans more into Red from where he's sitting on their hips. 

"What I'm saying is that people will believe in me  _ more _ on exposing you for being an Imposter to our team." 

"But- no! You're not human either!" Red protests. 

"And do you think they'll listen to that?"

"You tried to  _ kill me!" _

"That's because I  _ knew  _ that there's something wrong with you!" Purple snaps at them. 

"You're the only person who refuses to come in here! You have been avoiding this for  _ two weeks  _ now, you never eat with everyone else and  _ never _ take your helmet off. I would think that's  _ very  _ suspicious behavior for sure. You've been acting suspicious with  _ me.  _ I know the Captain will believe me when I say this."

"No, don't-" Red panics, fruitlessly shuffling underneath Purple. God no, they can't fail here, exhausted and starved. Not after what they've gone through. They  _ can't  _ let their efforts all go to waste in just the next twelve hours.

Purple's eye narrows at watching this, hmm-ing to himself. 

"But- I  _ do  _ know that you're not stupid." He taps on the top of Red's head while saying this. 

"You've figured out what I am as well, I  _ watched _ you. So stop moving and pay attention." 

Red stopped, watching him with skepticism in their expression.

"We  _ both _ have blackmail to hang over each other's heads. We know that getting thrown out the airlock is a surefire on getting killed. So, my idea is this." 

Purple grabs Red's helmet that's been sitting on it's lonesome next to the side of the two, placing his hand firmly on their chest in the process to prevent himself from falling on them. 

He sits back up again, and rolls the red helmet in his hands. 

"If you do not say a word about this and who I am in detail, then I'll keep myself quiet about you."

He lifts it up to look into it's visor, like an actor with a skull, the red helmet shining softly in the dark lighting. 

"I'll lie about it if I have to, even on the papers." His eye slides across to look out of the corner of his screen and down at Red, without turning his head.

"Otherwise, I will  _ stamp out _ that main cell you call a  _ brain _ in that head of yours with my boots, like a roach in front of everyone tomorrow morning."

Purple rests the helmet down in front of him on Red's stomach. 

"You have the rest of tonight to think this through."

Red tries to think about this. Purple has them, quite literally,  _ trapped.  _ But…

Red knows that Purple isn't human either.

Even with the  _ most possible outcome _ that the majority vote would choose to listen to Purple over Red, Purple is  _ still _ , willing to fairly consider the rare chance that he might get ejected from the ship instead.

This whole proposition is a double-edged sword that Purple is wielding on Red. There's an  _ extremely  _ small chance that it could backfire on him, but it can still happen. 

"And… and  _ how  _ do you plan to make a folly out of The Captain if I agree? To fabricate something like a test?" Red asks carefully. 

"Nobody will question me and my work." Purple explains firmly. "I am confident in that. Besides, with your body being mostly like…  _ that-"  _ He waves at Red's formless, slimy body that's within their spacesuit underneath him.

"I am sure that you've got enough of a weird blood mix inside of you for me to simply just  _ choose  _ a type and it'll pass in the scanner. Once I log your data first into it, the bioscanner will seek out that specific bloodtype out of you, which I am sure you have enough of."

Purple looks at Red right in the eye. 

"Will you take this or not." Purple condescends.

Red bites down on their orange tongue at his tone. "I don't have anything better in mind." They admit roughly. 

"I won't say anything of you if you keep your word with me."

"Take it to the grave." 

"Then do the same." 

"Deal." Purple gets off of Red with saying that, finally letting Red pull themselves up to their knees, and wobbly stand on their feet.

"A sample of you is needed, and I'll deal with the rest." He placed Red's helmet into their hands, before picking up his own helmet off the floor and putting it back on.

"And how, I'm going to ask, will that work." Red questions tiredly as they put theirs on as well. 

_ "Anything,  _ really." Purple's voice fuzzes through. "A shot, or just a piece of you. Whatever works. Now come on, I'm over here." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all for now!  
> We'll see if Impostober goes as I hope it to go...   
> Until next time, hope you had fun!


	5. Impostober – Crewmate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First prompt, simply titled "Crewmate"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently only my version of the prompt is available. Once The Friend writes theirs too (if they chose to do so!), I’ll update the chapter and put a big (UPDATED) just like that behind the title!  
> They're short, so a two prompts/one chapter deal won't be too bad.

What does it take to be a Crewmate?  
  
Some people say, it takes years upon years of academical training.  
You must dedicate your life to this mission, to traveling the stars. You need to understand every nook and cranny of the ship, you must understand all the complicated vocabulary, you must be precise and prepared for any and all situation.  
  
“Lime?”  
“Yessir?!”  
“Can you do the one task in electrical?”  
“Uhm. Which one?”  
“You know the one.”  
“… aren’t there… uh… four?”  
The Captain groaned. “Fixing the wiring.”  
“Like…?”  
“Cables. Stick them together. Do the thingy.”  
Finally Lime seem to light up and he stood a bit more straight.  
“Ah! You could have said that right away! Of course Captain, I’ll be doing the thing down in the thingy.”  
“Good.”  
  
Some people say it’s your drive to adventure, you desire to see something new.  
You need to be ready for change at any given point in time.  
Nothing is ever the same and your heart must be like that too.  
  
“I spy… with my little eye…”  
“Red, this game is stupid.”  
“Oh, shut up, Purple, what else are we supposed to do.” The Imposter rolled their eye, even if it was hidden under the visor. “… I spy, with my little eye…”  
“Let me guess. Something Black. Like the darkness between the stars.”  
“No.”  
“Something grey, like the speck of space dust against the windows.”  
“No! Just listen to me, okay? I SPY, with my little EYE something that is white and glows.”  
For a moment Purple looked at him completely expressionless.  
“ _A star_.”  
“Well-“  
“That’s literally all the three things we see around here. Black, grey and glowing white-“  
“IT’S A STAR, BUT WHICH STAR?!”  
Another pause ensued as Purple’s knuckles slowly started cracking.  
“ _Oh you motherf_ -“  
  
Other people say to be a crewmate you need a certain… instinct.  
An awareness for your surroundings and for things that are out of place. You need reflexes faster than any other creature, you must make decisions with a preciseness that only the human mind is capable of.  
Yes, at any given moment, you must be alert and ready to act.  
Only like that you would manage to beat the cruel universe at its own game.  
  
“Heheheheheee… loading screen goes brrrrrr-“  
Pleased Cyan watched the pretty colors flash on the screen, happy about his little plant being shown bouncing up and down on his little sprite.  
In the back where some noises, but he didn’t really care.  
Man, he could look at this for hours!  
He really didn’t care that he was alone in a dark room!  
Sending data!  
He ignored the heat at his back.  
Nothing to worry about.  
But then there was another noise, but this time a strong light from behind caused Cyan to at least shortly glance up, spotting Black in the doorway.  
“Oh, hi Black. Ready to work?”  
“Hi Cyan, hi White. What are you two up to?”  
Confused Cyan tilted his head a little further to spot the white Crewmate standing beside him.  
“Wait a minute… since when are you here, White?!”  
They slowly shook their head.  
“Since… before you came in.”  
For a moment longer Cyan stared at them…  
_… then he shrugged.  
_“Makes sense to me!”  
With that he turned back to the loading screen, as Black took his place beside him for the administrative tasks.  
White just quietly groaned and left.  
  
But one of the most important traits a crewmate could possess, would be nerves of steel.  
You always must keep your cool, no matter the situation. You need to control your emotion, neither fear nor frustration should ever control your actions.  
A crewmate is a person, who has total control.  
  
“So… I just have to scan my card, huh? Why is that even a task.”  
‘BEEP BEEP. TOO SLOW.’  
“Okay…?“  
‘BEEP BEEP. TOO SLOW.’  
“Are you kidding me?”  
‘BEEP BEEP. TOO SLOW.’  
“Are you fucking with me you little bitch?”  
‘BEEP BEEP. TOO FAST.’  
“I SWEAR TO GOD, I’LL RIP YOU OUT OF THERE WITH MY DAMN TEETH IN A MINUTE-“  
“Crewmate Pink! What is going on here?! Stop screaming.”  
“Blue- I mean, Captain- I’m TRYING to enter this DAMN card but the stupid machine is malfunctioning! I will need to take it apart and-“  
“Slow down. Malfunctioning? How so?”  
“Well, sir you see, whenever I swipe the DAMN FUCKING CARD-“  
‘CORRECT! THANK YOU FOR ENTERING YOUR KEYCARD.’  
For a few seconds both of them just stared at the message on the display.  
_Then Pink screamed._  
  
Some cynics think money has something to do with being allowed on board of one of these elusive ships. But that is complete nonsense. No amount of money can replace skill. And skill is what you need to survive out there.  
A crew that would let itself be bought is a crew that would let themselves die.  
  
“This is the ship I got us. Quite a beauty, huh?”  
The crewmates stood in front of the giant spaceship, in silent awe.  
This of course inflated the ego of Orange even more and he smiled smugly.  
“I’m going to call this baby the “Singularity 0”! The first of its kind!”  
Confused Pink frowned.  
“Seeing as the number zero is usually considered a no value and somewhat of an anomaly among numbers, while the mathematical Singularity describes something similar… did you just name the ship “Singularity Singularity”?!”  
“… excuse me, this is MY ship, methinks.” Orange snapped back.  
The Captain meanwhile slowly buried his face in his hands.  
“ _We’re going to die so fast out there_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I get to write bits and pieces of the crew being stupid? Is this paradise?  
> Another chapter might come out later today too! A crewmate/imposter one. (There might be a few that will come out, because I'm FEELING it right now)  
> Might take longer though, we'll see.
> 
> Tomorrow's prompt:  
> Stabby Stab.


	6. Are   yo u   w a  t c hing    ?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I know  
> You can
> 
> Still
> 
> Hear us.
> 
> When   
>  y   
>  o  
>  u
> 
> Closeyoureyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Cherubim suffered a terrible fate.  
> And Blue lives to remember... 
> 
> W a s 
> 
> W a t c h i n g 
> 
> Not too gorey, but there is extreme desperation and fear going on.

There were few things.

Two arms.  
Two legs.

_Don't break the body.  
Borrowed_.  
 _Needed._

_For now.  
_  
Movement.  
Cables.  
Another it was watching.  
  
“Uh- are you getting that? Don’t tell me you can’t connect the-“   
  
It could see it.  
 _Orange.  
...  
Eat._

A meeting.  
Alarms shrilling.  
Words being shared.  
Words shared.  
Many its around the table.  
Too weak to get them at once.  
Wait.  
Feed.  
... Blue.  
Looking.  
Respond.  
Blue answers.  
Tasks.  
 _The ship_.

"White, you have taken care of the cables?"   
" _Yes._ "   
"... are you sure? They seem to not be in order-"   
There was a pause at the table as White looked around, shaking his head.  
" _I- I was there. I left twenty minutes ago... did someone undo my work?_!"   
"Why would anyone do this?!"   
"SOMEONE HALVED ORANGE!"   
It went quiet.

Meeting over.  
Hunger.  
Hunger.  
Hunger.  
Quarters.  
Waiting.  
Movement restricted.  
Waiting.  
Allowed to move again.  
Roam.  
 _Hunt._   
Hunger.  
 _Hunger_.  
Blue-  
 _No. Not yet_.  
Someone.  
Coming.  
Wait.  
Wait in the vents.  
Shed the body.

"... White? Are you quite alright? You're standing there like- uh- ... White? Where are you? Is that a prank? Did you take off your suit- Wh- **_OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK-_** "

Feeding.  
Watching.  
Move.  
Blood will be discovered.  
A long line.  
Luring in the prey.

Shrill alarms.  
Meeting.  
Panic.  
It the creatures are shedding disgusting smelling liquid.  
Join.  
Talking.

"I- I saw Cyan join in last..." Red muttered.  
"WHat?! No- NO! IT WASN'T ME! AND WHY WOULD I STUFF THE BODY IN THE VENT?!"   
"... the bones."   
"Wh-"   
"You and Green went in, only you came out."   
"Why did you do this Cyan?!"   
"What the fuck are you?!"   
"I- I'M NOT-"   
" _THROW THIS THING ABOARD_!"   
" **NO**."

Blue.

"No, we can't just- we can't just throw people aboard! That would kill them!"   
" ** _THEY KILLED GREEN_**!"   
" ** _HOW WOULD YOU KNOW!?_** "

Stay silent.  
Wait.  
Decision.  
Cyan.   
Captured.  
Restricted.  
Restrained.  
Alone.

  
_Fun_.

Meeting.

" ** _WHATEVER- WHATEVER IS AMONG US- IT FUCKING RIPPED CYAN INTO SHREDS! IT LOOKS LIKE INSIDE A BLENDER IN THERE!_** "   
" _Oh god, oh god, oh my god-"_

  
Silence.

They move faster now.  
They keep away from the vents.  
Only six creatures left until.  
 _Growth_.  
Growth.  
Growth.  
Is everything.  
Other things.  
Watching.  
Hungry.  
Growth needed.  
Next.  
No time to waste.  
Eletrical.  
 _Alone_.

"Hey- White, we aren't supposed to be alone out h-"

Wide eyes.  
Wide.  
Wide eyes.  
Last reaction.  
More.  
 _More needed to grow.  
_ Emergency meeting.

"I _\- I found the body_..."   
"FUCKFUCK FUCK- WHITE, THIS IS FUCKED UP! WE HAVE TO GET OFF HERE!"   
"I- already send out a distress call, we need to stay put-"   
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING BLUE!?"  
"IT DOESN'T ATTACK THOSE IN GROUPS. IT CAN'T BE STRONGER THAN US- IF WE JUST WAIT-"   
"I'M NOT WAITING! I'M NOT FUCKING WAITING TO DIE ON HERE! I'LL TAKE AN ESCAPE POD!"

Running off.  
Running.  
Heart pounding.  
 _Whispering to us._  
It wants to be eaten.  
It runs.  
They follow.  
Cut the light.  
Blind creatures.  
They have to leave it behind.  
Desperately trying to open.  
Open.  
Open up.

"WHITE- GOD- THERE HAS TO BE A MANUAL SWITCH HERE, IF WE FLIP IT, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET OUT- we- W-white? A- are- you- _No. **NO, NO, STAY AWAY FROM ME, OH GOD NO, NO, HELP SOMEONE H** -_"

Vent.  
Quick.  
Other side.  
Joining them by the electricity.  
 _Hungerhungerhungerhungerhungerhunger_

"Who of us was last there?!"  
"Well- we were all there, right?!"  
" _White was late and came out of a weird room. Throw him out, just in case_."   
"Are you serious-"   
"But- I was there! Blue, you saw me right?"  
"Right- I did. It couldn't have been White."   
"I couldn't have gotten from there so quickly back! The only one I didn't see was YOU, Pink!"  
"Wh-"  
"Why were you even there to watch people come out of the rooms?"   
"That's- nonsense! I watched the security cameras! Just in case to see who wasn't-"  
" _Cameras... hah- hahaha- you really think we're STUPID, don't you?!_ "   
"... w-wait, no- no, you don't think I- I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YOU GUYS- I STAYED BEHIND BECAUSE I HOPED I COULD- YOU DON'T- NO! DON'T LISTEN TO WHITE, HE-"

Outside.  
 _Watching.  
In._  
 _Waiting too.  
Hungry too._  
 _Too strong._   
Growing.  
Necessary  
At any cost.  
 _Too weak otherwise._   
Four humans.  
Three.  
To.  
Grow.  
 _Movement.  
Outside.  
In the darkness of space.   
_  
Hurry.  
Sobbing.  
Everywhere.  
It's easier to think now.  
It's easier.  
It will be even easier.  
A plan.  
To make it easier.

" _SOMEONE PLEASE COME QUICKLY, OH GOD_ -"   
"White?! Is that you-?"   
" _YES, SOMETHING IS D-DRAGGING ME! PLEASE, PLEASE RED! SOMETHING IS PULLING ME INSIDE-_ "   
"I'm here, quick grab my hand!"   
" _I- I GOT YOU- OH GOD, RED_ -"   
"It's fine, I got you, I think it let you go, you made, it you- **_FUCKING HE-"_**

Feeding.  
Out.  
...   
... feeling.  
 _Him_.  
To the side.  
... ` ** _Blue_**?`  
Runs.  
He runs.  
Can hear him.  
Inside him.  
Not only his heart anymore.  
Get him, get him, GET him, GET HIM-  
 _Doors shut_.  
…  
... a plan.

"... oh god, what was that, what was he- no- IT- oh god, I'm- White- White was it- oh god, I’m so sorry, I’m so-"   
"B-BLUE!?"   
"... Purple?!"   
"BLUE OH MY GOD, OPEN THE DOOR! SOMETHING IS OUT HERE AND I LOST MY CARD- BLUE- PLEASE- _I CAN HEAR IT BLUE, BLUEICANHEARIT- OH GOD, OPENOPEN **OPENOPENOPEN** -_"

Hesitation.

` ** _I can feel you._**

**_On the other side._ **

**_Hand on the_ **

**_Door._ **

**_One slide-_ **

**_One slide-_ **

**_O-_ **

**_What are you doing_**?`

... "he" moves.  
Vents.  
... growing too.  
Single-minded species, copycat.  
 _But cleverer than expected.  
_ But we can-  
MOVEMENT.

"Hey, what- _HOLY FUCK-_ "

_New prey.  
After it, after it!_  
Growing.  
Faster, faster, faster!  
Purple.  
Fast.  
Not fast enough.  
Suboptimal two legs.  
Getting to him-

" **GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HIM!** "

Blue.  
Something- _hits inside._  
Not edible.  
Metal.   
Like the prey likes to use.   
_Useless_.  
"He" is carrying something.  
Small.  
Metal.  
More things come out of it.  
Move.  
Towards.  
  
"Him".

` ** _Can you_**

**_Hear_ **

**_Me?_ **

****

****

**_Too`_ **

Blue froze.  
Moving on top of “him”.  
Eating, growing, becoming-  
MOVEMENT-  
“He” grabbed-   
...  
...  
...  
... _it's... open._

The outside.

THE OUTSIDE!

THE OUTSIDE!

THE OUTSIDE!

IT IS-

STILL THERE-

STILL THERE!

EAT!

GROW!

EAT!

GROW!

BLUE

RIGHT THERE!

OUTSIDE!

WITH

US

-

Lights, noise, lights, something hitting-  
 _A ship!  
A new ship!_   
**_Open it up, eat, people in the windows, many people, swallow the entire ship, it's enough, enough people to-_**

**_NO_ **

**_NO_ **

**_I T_ **

**_I T_ **

**_P R E D A T O R_ **

**_SAW_ **

**_US_ **

**_BLUE!_ **

**_BLUE!_ **

** ` _ARE_ **

**_ YOU  _ **

**_ WATCHING _ **

**_ US?` _ **

_A_

_VORTEX_

_IS_

_PULLING_

BLUE

**LISTEN**

` ** _CLOSELY_** `

_C_

_R_

_U_

_N_

_C_

_H_

_.  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, writing a cosmic horror was weird?  
> I wanted to show how alien the thoughts are, just little- plans and ripped apart words... but I don't think it came across too well!  
> Oh well, it was a fun experiment certainly.  
> The universe is big. 
> 
> Growth is everything
> 
> They're  
> Watching  
> You
> 
> Have to
> 
> G r o w .


	7. Log Entries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following are recovered log entries recovered from the ship Cherubim-04. The ship was spotted floating through space, the crew entirely missing. This shines some light on the odd happens that have taken the entire crew. For the purpose of easier review, we have isolated the logs to those of interest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Lots of despair, as the Imposter does it work.
> 
> And he does it well.
> 
> It won't happen like last time.  
> He's here.  
> To protect them.)

LOG ENTRY - - - 7

“Today we lost someone.”

(A long pause, followed by a sigh)

“Cyan. Electrocution. They must have messed with the cables the wrong way. Some faulty wiring, a terrible tragedy. Everyone is feeling terrible, but it hits the Captain the most. He’s insisting that there is no way that it could have been an accident. He thinks someone- or some*thing* as he puts it- is among us… out to kill us.  
Listen- I trust the Captain. He had been on a mission before where everything went wrong… so I understand his worry. But there’s really nothing to point that anyone is out to come after us…  
We are only te-  
Nine people.  
We can’t go all paranoid and try to lock everyone up, right?  
We managed to talk some sense into the captain, thankfully. I hope it will be smooth sailing from now on.”

LOG ENTRY - - - 9

“The oxygen system failed today.   
Dear spirits of the stars- that shouldn’t have HAPPENED.  
Not only that, when we were about, the electricity failed completely and we had to fix that FIRST- everyone is very shaken up.  
Captain told me that there’s no way that this was an accident and I’m hesitantly inclined to believe him about that. After all, the oxygen system is the one thing that shouldn’t-  
… today, nobody can recall to have seen Green. Purple claims they were there for a short amount of time, but nobody saw them doing tasks or anything. Someone else must have picked up the slack.  
I- can’t let myself get infected with this panic.   
The Captain needs me to keep a cool head, for him and everyone.  
It must have been bad luck.”

(Laughter in the background, muffled.  
  
It stops a moment after)

“The Captain has set a new policy into place. We’re only allowed to move in a group of three. That will make tasks a bit hard to get around to, but it’s not the worst, I think.”

LOG ENTRY - - - 10

“I was wrong yesterday- the captain is way too obsessed with keeping the policy enforced.   
He called an emergency meeting yesterday, because he caught Green alone.  
They promised Lime was just two rooms over and would have heard anything, but apparently that wasn’t good enough.  
It wasn’t three anyways-  
Not only that, the Captain insists that Green didn’t do most of their task of the day-   
And Green responded that it was obvious, since they couldn’t get from one point to another on their own. It would take more time.  
At that point Captain allowed the others to vote on if they should keep Green locked up, but everyone abstained. So we left it at a warning and the reminder that the group of three is a serious issue.  
Maybe now everything will go smooth-“

(A knock)

“Huh?”   
“Navigator?”   
“Oh- Captain it’s you. Let me open the door.”

(The swish of a door is audible, followed by footsteps.)

“Good job, Navigator. *You’ve revealed yourself as a total idiot!*”   
“Uhm- excuse me? How?”   
“GODDAMMIT. I COULD BE THE IMPOSTER! I COULD GET OUT A KNIFE AND STAB YOU RIGHT HERE WITHOUT ANYONE NOTICING. YOU CAN’T JUST LET PEOPLE IN, NAVIGATOR!”   
“I’m so sorry Captain, but it’s you-“   
“Doesn’t MATTER! Maybe the Imposter can imitate voices! Have you thought about THAT!?”   
“Captain! Please.”   
“… you’re right. You’re right. I might be- a bit tense. But you have to understand, Navigator- I need you to work with me. I need you to help me run this ship. If something happened to you, I-“  
“… I get it. Don’t worry. I’ll be more careful next time and not let anyone in unless I have a weapon.”   
“Good. I’m- you’re handling this well. It will get worse.”   
“Why are you so sure?”

(Footsteps, then a pause.)

“… _because it always does_.”

LOG ENTRY - - - 14

“Green was found dead.   
Three stab wounds in the back, so violently that they almost pierced the chest too.  
The Captain is broken up.  
I think he cried.   
Sure, I have no way to tell it, but the way he talked-  
At the table he could only talk about how the last thing he did was accusing him of being the Imposter and that he couldn’t forgive himself.  
Everyone chimed in, trying to reassure him- after all, he was the only one who had tried to keep everyone safe and was warning us all-  
But there was no way to really console him.  
No, instead he promised to find the Imposter.   
For Green, for everyone on the ship.  
So we all could rest easy once more.  
He was so bitter and-  
I wonder what he saw on his last mission.  
Everyone had to tell what they were doing to the time the body was reported and to be honest, few of us could really exactly pinpoint what it was, because we just weren’t prepared to be quizzed.   
The way the Captain dismissed the meeting was almost scary.  
‘Groups of three. This is your only warning.’  
He’s right though- this was the only warning. If we don’t keep to that, we might die. What better warning could there be than that?  
At least the ship was fine. So there’s that.”

LOG ENTRY - - - 16

“The power went out again.  
And someone went after the oxygen.  
I was locked in the cafeteria for at least ten minutes, watching the oxygen levels decrease.  
 _I never want that to happen ever again_.  
That must have been on purpose.  
Thankfully it was fixed again in time.  
We don’t know who did it.  
The Captain promises to look at the cameras more frequently.  
He’s the only who dares to roam alone- he really doesn’t care about himself. I try to keep going along with him, but he tends to shoo me to go with groups that are only of two. Says he’ll be fine.  
I believe him.  
If anyone could beat the Imposter, it’s him.”

LOG ENTRY - - - 18

“The power went out again.  
It happens more and more frequently.   
What happens if next time we all get locked in far away from the oxygen, with no time to fix it?”

LOG ENTRY - - - 26

(It stays silent for a while in the beginning. Then a sob sounds.)

“We… found the one who manipulated the machines.”

(More sobs, this time muffled)

“… we ejected them. The Captain had to do it, we just- we- oh god.”

(Silence)

“I liked Pink. I can’t believe it. I just- Pink was just- me and Pink we- sat together in the cafeteria- I helped them with the scan and-  
I-  
They cried.  
They kicked, they SCREAMED.  
They looked at my face and they BEGGED me to do anything, that I knew it wasn’t them, that they could never-   
_About how they didn’t want to die, they had friends waiting for them, that it would kill them, that it would-_  
Someone should-   
Send their next of kin a message when we arrive back.  
Well- if they have it-  
How… how long do Imposter live among us?  
Do they have families?  
Are those families even human?”

(A long pause, followed by a quiet sniffle)

“I can’t think about this. When I saw them floating in space, watching them looking back at us- I won’t ever forget this.  
  
At least-  
At least it's over now, right?  
I can't-  
 _I still can't believe it was Pink.  
We're now only seven now. We used to be ten.  
Oh god.  
Everyone is miserable.  
But- it's over now.”_

ENTRY LOG - - - 38

(A long while of nothing)

(Then finally, movement)

"We found another body. This time it was torn in half.  
Pink was innocent.  
The Imposter is getting more and more violent.  
I didn't want this.  
I wanted to be among the stars. I wanted to see strange new worlds.  
I wanted-  
 _No_.  
I need to stop talking about this.   
People died here. People are still dying.  
This doesn't matter anymore.  
We have to put a stop to this.   
Desperately.  
Nobody said anything at the meeting.  
Just where they were during the time the body was found.  
Even the Captain was very silent.   
Maybe I should visit him in his quarters sometimes. He needs someone with him now."

(The scratching of a chair, shortly followed by the same noise again)

" _No. Not… not now._   
I need to finish this anyways.  
... nobody voted.   
We don't really have a lead.  
Everyone is tense.   
We seriously only move in groups nowadays.  
 _We have to throw the killer out. It's still with us. We need to get rid of it._  
But-  
But what if we're wrong again?  
Can we-   
Can we live with that?"

LOG - - - 41

"Someone went missing, without a trace. Nobody knows where Orange currently is- nobody even saw them all day.  
A few people say that it might was the Imposter leaving before we could exile them.  
Someone else said the person had probably been terrified and used an escape pod... but I'm not too sure about that. _After all, they're all still there_.  
But what else could have happened?  
Otherwise, nothing noteworthy to mention.  
Everyone moves in one big group.   
We're safe."

LOG - - - 48

"I can't put off the suit anymore, even in my own quarters.  
 _The air stinks of rotting flesh and nobody knows why_.  
Is it more sabotage?  
  
Did something get caught up in the ship's ventilation at our last stop?"

LOG - - - 53

"Emergency meeting was called- someone found a body.  
Actually two people.  
And they accused the other.  
 _We didn't know what to do.  
We couldn't-  
I couldn't-  
They said the other one was the one pulling the body out of the vent- and thus the killer- they even claim they saw their bloody handprints on the inside_-"

(A noise of disgust and anguish follows.)

"... what the Captain did-  
We had no way to tell who of them was speaking the truth- but one had to be the liar, so he-  
 _  
H-he-  
He threw them both out.  
And I'm-  
I know it was right.  
He told them that one of them was the imposter and the other wasn't and that he knew that- and that he- that this was a sacrifice of the greatest value.  
That the astronaut should take pride in themself.   
Whoever of them was not the Imposter was saving everyone.  
I left.  
I couldn't.  
I know I should have stayed and paid my respect to-  
They've-  
They've didn't-  
Take it well...  
But the captain- he did- did what was needed-  
_  
I don't know what to do anymore.  
We're only three.  
The Imposter IS gone now.   
We'll arrive soon.  
But I'll never enter a space ship again.  
And I don't even think I'd ever call for a meeting when I see a body.  
Oh god.  
I don’t want to end up out there.  
I don’t want to end up dying alone in space-  
… I think I’ll-   
I’ll go to sleep early today.  
There’ll be a lot to do tomorrow.  
Now that we’re- w-we’re…  
… only three…”

LOG ENTRY - - - 56

“It really seems to be over. Captain has calmed down too.   
That’s good, because we have to move alone from time to time to get it all done.  
The dark atmosphere doesn’t go away- it probably never will.  
But at least I know we survived.   
Maybe we’ll be able to talk at the station about what happened- for a similar situation.  
Offer up our camera feed and try to pinpoint what went wrong.  
Maybe we can even find out who actually was the Imposter- because I won’t let anyone forget the one we cast out in mistake.  
  
All of them.  
  
I will get their real names from the paperwork and I’ll… make them a memorial.  
Space is cruel.  
The Captain knows it.  
Yet he’s still here.  
I wonder why.”

LOG ENTRY - - - 60

“Everything is fine.  
We’ve gotten in our routine.  
But today I’ve seen the Captain halfway crawl into the vents again.  
I wonder if he’s afraid that something is hiding inside.  
Maybe an animal?  
Probably just scrap metals.  
Our eyes met when he moved back out again and I waved.  
Maybe I’ll check on the vents myself too, tomorrow.”

LOG ENTRY --- 64

“Again a calm day. We had to deal with a few asteroids, but it was okay as we worked together. I can’t wait to be back-   
I didn’t see the Captain at all to be honest.  
Only when I called for him so he would help.  
I wonder-“

(The noise of knocking.)

“Huh?”   
“Navigator? Are you inside?”  
“Yes- let me open the door for you.”

(The sound of doors swishing open, footsteps)

“Is there anything I can do for you, Captain?

… Captain…?

 _Captain, WH_ -“

(A struggle seems to be going on, the noise of something being smashed near the microphone, the sound of someone coughing and trying to breathe.)

“ ** _YOU’RE THE IMPOSTER, WEREN’T YOU!?_**

**_YOU WERE THE IMPOSTER_ **

**_YOU WERE THE IMPOSTER ALL THIS TIME!_ **

**_YOU USED MY TRUST_ **

**_YOU MADE ME DEFEND YOU!_ **

**_HOW COULD YOU!?_ **

**_HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS?!_ **

**_I BELIEVED YOU!_ **

**_JUST LIKE LAST TIME!_ **

**_YOU MADE ME THROW THEM OUT! ALL OF THEM!_ **

**_DO YOU HAVE NO SOUL!?_ **

**_OF COURSE NOT!_ **

**_BUT NO-_ **

**_I GOT YOU IN THE END!_ **

**_YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO SPOT YOU, YOU THOUGHT YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO GET AWAY WITH IT AGAIN-_ **

**_HA-_ **

**_HAHA-_ **

**_HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA-_ **

**_NOT THIS TIME! NOT THIS TIME! NOT THIS TIME!_ **

**_YOU_ **

**_WON'T_ **

**_DO_ **

**_THIS_ **

**_AGAIN!_** ”

(Every sentence is accompanied by a thump that turns duller and wetter by the second.

Eventually it stops.

Footsteps.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The recording went on until the energy was cut by something.  
> We can only make assumption on what happened on the Cherubim-04, but it is safe to assume that the Captain was far too traumatized to continue working and turned on his crew. We will have to improve our screening processes for mental problem and risks before we send off the next mission.  
> As of to date, the Captain has not been located, but it is to be assumed that he made his way away with an escape pod. If you have any suspicion of having seen him anywhere, please contact - - - ----- --


	8. Bleeding Gears (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat a continuation of Bleeding Gears! Where Cyan and Red find out that both of them are rather odd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by Failure, overworked slightly by The Friend for character accuracy!  
> They also added some better spacing, but I only realized when I was done editing all the "unnecessary" spaces out, so... sorry-  
> Silly and light-hearted chapter incoming!
> 
> Hope it's enjoyable anyways!  
> Greetings to "Shyreader", thank you very much for your request!

Tick. Tock.

Red had been discharged from the medbay.  
  
It took too long...  


Thank god.  
Now they could-  
They could-

_ Eat. _

The alien tried to force their suit to move the right way, to push it forward one step at a time, but at this point it was too much.  
Yes, the sense of adrenaline had kept them upright before, but now everything was dragging them down. The suit, the simulated gravity, their own bloody mass-  
Suddenly one of their suited legs got caught on the other, sending them stumbling downward. The suit fell unlucky, causing the head to get separated from the rest, rolling down the hall a little longer.  
Tired, Red looked at it, for a second unsure what happened as they attempted to reach for it…  
… to no avail.  
They felt  _ smaller _ than before.  
Dragging themselves out of the red prison, they did feel a bit better, a bit lighter- but the helmet still felt incredibly far away.  
That was fine though, surely, all they needed to do was grabbing this helmet and put the suit back together and-

_ Oh, who were they kidding? _

**_They were dying._ **

Their whole body started shaking uncontrollably as it began to feel weirdly hot. Cells, breaking at the lowest level and they became more and more slushy-  
At least they made it inside their helmet.  
… tomorrow the crew would discover their body and…  
… that would be a scene…  
Haha… Purple would be very suspicious… too bad… for him…  
Oh the dim lights above… look like stars…  
… if only they could have… seen the stars… one last… time…

Something Blue covered their vision.  
Or- was it Green?

“Red?”

Instantly snapping up again, the little blob panicked as they spotted Cyan looking from above at them, seeming to be …  _ minorly _ concerned at most to be honest. Not really the reaction that Red expected when they first would be discovered in their true form.  
Then again- they must look not very intimidating.  
“What are you doing out here…” Red forced out of their sore throat.  
“Oh, I wanted to get a snack from the vending machine and forget it was early call, so I’m kinda locked out of my room for the night!” Happily he informed the monster in front of him, before picking him up. “And what are you doing? In general, I mean? Aside from, uhm. Melting… ?"  
“… I’m  _ dying _ , Cyan.”  
“Pretty sure people don’t die like that.”  
Red glared at the guy from their single eye. Cyan could be DENSE, but this was on purpose.  
“I guess I’m  _ not people.”  
_ “Makes sense. So… how can I prevent you from dying somehow? I would kinda like to do that, if possible.  _ No matter the cost _ .”  
That last part was  _ surprisingly _ scary, considering he had been talking rather motivated before. Now he sounded ready to blow up the entire ship.  
“I’m- I need… food.” Red admitted, praying that Cyan wouldn’t decry them as the murderer they were-  
  
But Cyan did not missed a beat.  
“I’m at your disposal!”  
  
“Wh-"  
“I think I would be very tasty!”  
“I’m-"  
“I take good care of myself too! My diet is good and I just ate, so that might be extra nice- oh. Right. I guess we could also try the vending machine.”  
“ _ WHY DO YOU SOUND SO DISAPPOINTED-"  
_ _ “… because I want to prove that I’m tasty _ \- well- actually, long story. What will it be?”   
Red looked at him tearfully, knowing that what he's offering won't really work.  
“I… can’t eat something like  _ you- _ not- like this… I need blood.”  
“Too weak to bite through bone? Or muscle? Understandable. We’ll fix that, you can eat me later!”  
Wait a minute, but Red doesn't-  
“Cyan, I-“  
“But where do you get just blood from so  _ easily… _ I don’t have a knife on me… oh wait! Medbay should have plenty of sharp things! But it’s probably locked up already…”  
Red’s head hurt. They just needed a break.  
Everything  _ hurts _ .  
They were slowly dissolving themselves… the body desperate for sustenance-  
“OH I GOT IT!”  
“Shh!” Red hisses through their teeth.  
“Right. Wouldn’t wake anyone up. Okay, but I have THE plan.”   
“… that would be…?”  
“Step one. Use the vents. There is one to medbay and I saw Purple use it before? I mean- I guess it’s not something you SHOULD do, but if it works…?”  
_... and that's it?  _ Red's not so sure about that.  
“And…?” They edged on carefully.  
“And what?”  
“You said you had a plan… that usually consists of  _ multiple _ steps.” they explained weakly.  
“Oh. No. That was the plan.”  
With that, Cyan tried to spot the nearest vent entrance, carrying the poor Red in his arm with them sloshing up the walls of the helmet with every step.  
… was Purple already gone…?  
Would he spend the night in Medbay…?  
They were too tired to warn Cyan.  
The two traveling through the vents took a small while, but finally they spotted a light above them. Quickly Cyan crawled out, smiling happily.  
“There we are. Medbay! Actually now that I think about it, shouldn’t the blood donations be kept here too? Maybe we can use some of them too-“  
  
Behind Cyan, there was a cough.  
  
With a squeak the neon crewmate jumped around, being visor to visor with the VERY unamused-looking Purple.  
“Oh- hey doc.  _ That’s _ why the lights were on, it makes sense now!”  
“What do you have there?" He asked quite sharply. "What’s in the helmet?”  
“A friend!”  
“Did you  _ really  _ smuggle something inside with Red? Cyan, I don’t know how often I need to tell you, but-“  
“I ONLY EVER SMUGGLED SOMETHING IN ONCE.”  
“ _ Once is one time too many _ !” He raised his voice at him.  
“If Green gets to have a little workbuddy, so do I-“  
“That’s completely DIFFERENT-“

Both of them were distracted by the weak cough coming from the helmet. _“Boys,_ _I’m… evaporating here… please...”_

“ _ Right _ . Uhm. Doc? Can I have some blood packets?” Cyan sheepishly asked.  
“No." He damned.  
"They are under  _ strict _ supervision. Even if so, you first would need to put him into-"  
“Okay, okay I understand…” The Crewmate huffed, putting down Red.  
“No, You didn’t LISTEN! You need to plug the sink and fill it with water first.” Purple can start to feel his system to overheat from having to stress with someone who's only half-listening to him.   
“ _ BUT THEN RED WILL BE FLUSHED DOWN!”  _ Cyan wails. _  
“THAT’S WHY YOU PLUG IT FIRST!”  
_ **_“BUT HOW DO WE GET THEM EVER OUT OF THE WATER AGAIN!?”  
“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, CYAN. HE’S A CELLBASED ANOMALY AND-"  
_ ** “Are you okay with this, Red?”  
Cyan at this point had stopped listening to Purple.  
“… yes, it might- help-" they mewed.  
“Okay then!” Happily the Crewmate proceeded to fill the sink, while looking over at Red inside of their little prison. “Pft… you look very cute like that Red! You’re small, like a Mini-Crewmate!”  
With tears in their eyes, the Imposter looked up, not in the right mindset to be laughed at, looking like a sad cat who's about to cry.  
_ Now's not the time.  
_ Purple coughed, a bit irritated. “Did you mean to say he looks like a  _ child?”  
_ “No.” It was hidden under the visor, but it was rather clear Cyan was frowning. “I mean like the Mini-Crewmate. Like Green’s! Who would be so insane to take a child on a borderline suicide mission? That would be pretty evil.”  
It stayed quiet for a moment, then finally the guy could drop his alien pal into the water.  
“Okay- so what now? Should I give them some of my blood? If you have none to spare…   
“Cyan. Your blood is contaminated, did you forget of that?”  
Another pause.  
“Oh right! Doc, I almost forgot, but there’s something stuck in the vents over here.”  
Quickly he moved back to where he came from, crouching and pointing down. “I passed it on my way inside, kinda looks like writing? Did you write it?”  
_ “What? _ No.” Irritated, Purple squatted down on his heels, peering inside the darkness and-  
Was promptly kicked in the back.  
  
“OUCH!”  
Surprisingly though it was Cyan’s call of pain, while Purple had to be satisfied with a simple redacted curse before being headfirst inside of the tight space that the vents were at their core.  
Cyan proceeded to close the gutter.  
“Okay, that’s done.”  
  
Not really, but still.   
_ "Cyan god damn you, you little rat! I thought that whatever was left of your braincells were TAKEN by that horrid thing to scheme like this!"  
_ “That’s a common misconception about me, actually!” He happily informed the ship’s doctor. “Don’t worry though- you’ll get out there in a bit.”  
Having taken off his helmet to use it as a block to prevent Purple from getting out again, Cyan revealed his odd appearance.  
Red watched hazily from the tank.  
No, they hadn’t seen  _ many _ humans, but they felt like they shouldn’t look so much like a…  _ corpse… _   
Pale skin, sprinkled with little cyan dots… the hair was also a bright Cyan-  
The eyes were only rings, glowing in the dim light- though that might be because it was such a blindingly  _ strong _ color.  
“Okay, Red, hold on- I don’t see anything sharp around here…”  
Purple scoffed, watching from below. “ _ Because I lock my tools AWAY, like I SHOULD _ .”  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
As the Crewmate rumbled about, Red gathered the energy to ask their question.  
“Cyan, why- why are  _ you _ helping me? I… eat blood. I eat… living things. People will die to feed me.”  
He didn’t even bother looking up.  
“Will they? Don’t take it too dramatically, I eat things too. In the snack dispenser are so many dead animals. Animals that humans made, just to be eaten. It’s just how life is. We eat. We die. We get eaten.”  
“You’re a bit- too  _ casual _ about this!” Red whined softly, horribly confused on Cyan's point of view on this.  
“We all die, Red. Wouldn’t it be nice dying, but  _ knowing _ you aren’t going to waste? I envy cattle. They are loved and enjoyed, every part of them.”  
“Cyan-" Purple interrupted. “Give it up, Red. Cyan’s brain has undergone changes.”  
“Wh-?” for a moment that didn't register to them.  
“The flower, Red.”  
Looking up at Cyan, they only now realized the helmet was gone, and with that the ceramic pot of the plant- but the plant itself remained on the head, revealing that it wasn’t the pot keeping it anchored,  _ no.  
  
_ Instead its long green veins went INTO CYAN’S-

“ _ Oh god _ .” Red slushed back into the sink more, eyeing Cyan with newfound fear that whatever happened to him was  _ probably nothing good. _

Smiling, Cyan tried to reassure him. “Oh, no, no, no, it’s fine! It’s fine. I got infected with this parasite on a planet- I was careless. But we nipped it in the bud. It doesn’t control me.”  
Purple shook his head, still watching from inside the vents. “It influences you.”  
“… my outview on life. It’s an odd species, you know? It infects prey to grow and use their nutrients, then it ensures that prey gets eaten by a predator, preferably a pack animal- so the seeds get spread! Nature is  _ scary. _ It has begun with a few modifications like lowering inhibitions, sadness and fear-“  
“Decreasing maturity level-“  
“- and other things,  _ yeah. _ But it’s fine! Like I said.”  
Red couldn’t keep up.  
“So you helped me because… ?"  
“…  _ I wouldn’t mind you eating me _ .”  
There was a pause, Red didn’t know what to say about a proposition like that.  
Cyan quietly laughed.  
“I’m… sorry. That’s… really rash of me, isn’t it?” Flustered he looked to the side. “I know that’s a lot to ask and a big deal and if yo-“  
“Could you infect me?!”  
“Oh? No. Not that I know. Once consumed it just prepares it's seed stage.”  
For a moment Red just tried to gather their thoughts.  
“I don't… I’m still dying over here, I can't get that… why-“  
Purple crashing his helmet against the metal walls of the vent was audible in the background, as he tried to readjust into a more comfortable position.   
“You’re going to  _ die _ , Red. Accept it. When your life is in Cyan’s hands-”  
“ANYWAYS.” Cyan spoke up, before moving closer. "You have  _ teeth _ , right Red?”  
“Yes?” Confused and dizzy the alien confirmed, not exactly sure of what he wanted to get at.  
“Can you bite me? Then… you would be able to get my blood without me having to go find the key to the cabinets.” Again, Cyan grew red, very obvious against his pale skin.   
“I mean. Only if you want to. I don’t wanna pressure you-“  
Another loud  _ CLUNK- _ came from the vents.  
Unsure, Red looked up at his new friend(?) and shifted.  
“I- I don’t know. I never  _ bit _ anyone." Red stutters, feeling themselves burn again.  _  
"Yes, _ I have teeth and ate a body before, but I killed him before that- I didn’t really harm him with my teeth, with living prey that feels… kind of personal, like  _ intimate… _ normally you just kill them first before eating them...”  
“I’m okay with it though!” Cyan stepped closer, reaching out into the reddish liquid that was in the sink. “I would like you to bite me and sustain yourself.”  
An echoed groan from the vents.  
“ _ Biting before marriage?! You’re all heathens _ .”  
Though his words weren’t even registered by these two, as they were left in their own world.  
Carefully, Red grabbed Cyan’s arm and dragged it inside the liquid of their own body.  
A sharp pain made the crewmate wince, then slowly, a bright blue liquid dripped out of him and inside the organic gel below him. When it hit, it slowly created a purple spiral inside of the red mass, as it sluggishly began to grow a bit thicker.

“ _ How is it _ ?” Cyan asked breathlessly.  
_ “… weird. You're odd. It tastes… a bit sour. But not in a bad way _ .” they mumbled to him.   
“Y-you can make the wound bigger!”  
“But- your veins are there, if I hit a big artery, then you-“  
“Don’t worry about that, you need plenty of-“

Finally there was a CRACK behind them.

Purple had broken the vent cover and was crawling out, looking about ready to commit a heinous crime.  
“ _ Alright boys, that is it for today. I’m not dealing with this for a second longer! Cyan, your blood doesn’t even have all the nutrients to feed a blood-based lifeform! I’ll let him have some from the blood bank if you two promise to STOP _ .”  
“Okay!” Both said, albeit Cyan seemed disappointed to have to take his hand out of the warm mass.  
While patching himself up, he glanced up at the alien that was sitting up again.  
“… so you really need to eat humans?”  
“Well…” Red's one eye looked to the side, trying to find a way to answer this.   
“You can’t eat anything else? You could get yourself meat from the sandwich machine…”  
“Wait, really?" The sandwich machine makes  _ more _ than just sandwiches? "I thought they just had sandwiches.”  
“Click “own creation” instead one of the preset options and then just keep pressing the meat of your choice!”  
“Oh." That's it…? That, didn't sound as surprising as they thought. Then again, they didn't really the thing much thought in the first place. "That’s nice-“  
Purple looked at Cyan, disgusted. “How… do you even  _ know _ that. Wait, no. Don’t say anything. It’s not good enough. From what I have seen in my scans, there are few things that mere meat cannot give him. And that also doesn’t account for his need for-“  
Desperately, Red sits up. “But- could it be at least enough to keep the hunger at bay? For at least a while?”   
Cyan sat up as well with his crewmate's question. “And what if I give my blood and the meat is a supplement-“  
Rubbing his visor, Purple groaned. “That-" For a few seconds he works down on processing this in his head, trying to run the calculations on the numbers Red needs compared to a normal human.   
"That's  _ still _ probably not enough. I guess it will fix a few issues, but…"  
“Only two months. It only needs to last that long.”  
“I can’t tell! Cyan, this might not-“  
Cyan turned to Red, awfully excited.  
“Then- if it doesn’t last you that long- you take me. That should cover you until you’re back- and nobody has to die.” A short moment of hesitation.  _ “… at least nobody that’ll be missed _ .”  
The liquid shuddered shortly, but before anything more could be said, Purple simply dumped a few bags of blood on top of them, which was absorbed fast and allowed Red to finally leave the tub.  
Slowly they moved out, forming appendages like that humans had them. Their jelly-like body let the light from above break in fascinating ways.

Cyan was awestruck.  
 _It was beautiful._

Purple threw away the empty packages in the trash, turning to face them again. "There, that is enough for now. We really don’t have enough to-"  
As usual, nobody listened, the crewmate too busy to listen as he steps closer and reaches out to Red’s face, in a daze.

“ _ Could I please…” _

His thumb slipped in Red’s maw, gently pressing down to signal Red to open it, something they complied with as they were slowly backed up against the wall.  
Long, sharp teeth were revealed. Thick in their start as the tips are just as thin as needles, and reflective as a knife.  
Cyan could see his own expression thrown back at him, wide eyes and frozen.  
“ _ Sorry, I just- never was this close to a predator- _ “  
Red slicked down a little against the wall at being called something like…  _ that.  _ “Please don’t call me that.” Red mumbled, feeling awkward.  
Quickly their new friend stepped back and laughed, clearly embarrassed. “Ah, I’m- sorry! I didn’t mean to do that. It won’t happen again!”  
“It’s- it’s okay, I guess. If you don't mind on something, I’m curious too about-" Reaching out they gently touched the flower on top of Cyan’s head, drawing a giggle from him.  
“ _ That tickles _ -“

The flower felt in every way, shape and form like a normal flower.

_ Except… _

Abruptly Red jumped back.   
For a split second, they saw an eye open in the middle of the center, with an iris that seemed bleeding in red- even if it wasn’t possible.  
“DIDN’T I JUST TELL YOU TO STOP?” Purple's aggravated voice snapped them back to what's going on.  
“Everything okay?!”  
“Y-yeah. I just got- the light just tricked me to see something else for a moment.”   
Pleased Cyan smiled.   
“Okay, then- put on your suit! I’ll show you which button you have to press at the snack machine!”   
Borderline skipping outside like a child, he quickly disappeared around the corner.  
  
  
Purple scoffed, he quite had it up to  _ here  _ with the most recent events that just been happening tonight.    
“Lucky  _ you. _ Free food just waiting for you to feel like it.”  
“I’m NOT going to eat Cyan!” It erupted from within Red’s very core. “ _ I’d rather starve _ ! How  _ dare _ you!"  
“How nice of you." He steeled.   
"I won’t hesitate to throw him out if it comes to a question between him or me.” The doctor tried to get some order and cleanliness in the medbay again, after the crewmate had touched it all with fingers that had been- who knows where.   
He could feel Red growing angry behind him, but he didn’t pay any mind to them.  
“And you should too.” Coldly he mentioned, folding the blankets back over neatly on one of the beds.   
“ _ No _ . Cyan is- Cyan doesn’t even want to  _ do _ any harm- he understands and-“  
“But do  _ you?” _ Purple inquires.  
“What?!” Them? Them what?? The hell is Purple asking of them?  
“Do YOU understand?” He insists.  
“ _ Do I understand WHAT!? _ ” They snapped, as Red grabbed their head.  
“ _ Yourself _ !” As though it was obvious, Purple spat those words out like as if he tasted Cyan's blood himself. “ _ What kind of species you are. If you are already fully grown. How your hunting behavior will change. Have you killed Lime on purpose? Did you plan it out? Or were you just suddenly alone with him and then it happened automatically?”   
_ “I’m-“   
There were no answers to that.  
“ _ You COULD change, Red. Maybe you're actually in your child stages and your desire to hunt and kill will grow more and more potent with time, and how would you know? Even if you protect Cyan now, what if something starts snapping within and you shake him so violently in your maw, that he’s ripped to pieces?! How do you know you will be able to contain yourself if he gets another bleeding scratch in a month or so _ ?”   
There was silence.   
Finally Purple put away the last piece.   
The place looked exactly like it was before now.

Purple finally sighed.   
“The point is, don’t get attached. Don’t make plans of the future. Not now… not with so little variables available.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be more Crewmate/Imposter stuff tomorrow! Because I'm FEELING like it!   
> I'm such a sucker for ships.
> 
> Until then!


	9. Impostober – Stabby Stab

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stabbing people is a funny feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written and directed by Failure! Just a little drabble for another day of the month!  
> It's super small, since I'm feeling sick and lacking inspiration, but the shorter the story, the more fun I have with it.

It was a reassuring feeling.  
No, he couldn’t describe it.  
He didn’t like killing.  
It was a tragedy, it was pure terror, it was betrayal.   
Hurting so much.  
But after the act had been done, he tended to sit with them, holding them gently, his hands on their neck, trying to hold them still. The bodies always turned to soft after their life left their eyes, as though all defenses left them too. It was odd, this feeling of-   
How could you describe it?  
How gentle a human could be…   
Once all the tension was gone.  
Do Impostors bleed?  
He would never find out. As his knife entered through the skin, a loud sizzling sounded, and before he could pull it out again, the wound was already cauterized.  
The smell of burning meat was thankfully instantly carried away by the running ventilation system, though at least to him it still felt awfully noticeable.   
A horrid smell really.  
Maybe he hoped it would attract a hungry imposter?  
He… couldn’t tell really.  
If anyone in his crew would see him like this, they would-  
  
Yet despite that, he kept raising his hand and lowering it again, feeling the sensation of crumbling flesh under his knife. The gentle sizzle. The small curl of smoke rising up.  
One more time.  
One more time.  
Raising the hand.  
Then slowly lowering it.  
Stabbing it.  
Over.  
And Over.  
Holding the body, leaving another mark every time.  
He should look around, but he couldn’t.  
He didn’t even feel like he was really here.   
Maybe he was far away.  
Dreaming.  
So he kept lowering his weapon.  
Leaving patterns down below.  
A little opening in the skin.  
Another one.  
Another one.  
Opening the inside up without showing anything.   
The gentle resistance that disappeared as soon as the blade started glowing with heat.   
His mind was so far away…  
… stabby stab…  
A smile appeared on his face, not because what he was doing, but because of this silly, completely out of nowhere thought. As if a child had discovered the horrors of murder.  
Stabby stab.  
A child could make all acts sound endearing, huh?  
Stabby, stabby stab.  
  
When he stood up, he looked back down at the body, almost feeling mournful having to leave them all alone.  
It didn’t feel right.  
At least someone would found them soon.  
His weapon had left an odd pattern on the body.  
Small, small, deep, small, small, deep, small, small.   
A row…  
… of teeth.  
Well, they would think it was the impostor’s work.  
Which it was.  
Even if not directly.  
 _For some reason he was sure this one waan’t the Imposter.  
He still could feel it roam.  
But he would find it.  
_Eventually.   
_Patience.  
And this body would show it what he had in store for this vile creature.  
  
Stabby stab. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Next Impostober prompt: Emergency meeting


	10. Impostober - Emergency meeting (Bleeding Gears 2.5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emergency meetings are stressful.  
> And useful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone died, everyone is fighting, but nothing too harsh.  
> Written by Failure, as always!

The alarms had echoed through the halls loudly- ear-shatteringly, mind-numbingly.  
Everyone had rushed from their respective place to meet up, but it still took over five minutes for the last one to arrive.  
_Understandable.  
It was a large ship.  
_Purple was standing at the end of the table, looking rather grim, despite his face not being visible. Maybe it was how unmoving he was, or his fingers were trying to dig into the table.  
The ones who joined him tried to ask what was going on, but got nothing except an irritated headshake in return.  
_Not yet._  
Only when almost everyone arrived, he finally spoke up, his voice fizzled through the intercom.  
“Lime is dead.”  
Instantly it grew quiet.  
Eyes wandered over to the empty spot at their table, mumbles broke out, hushed whispers and gasp, almost inaudible over the static.  
“Where did you find them?!” The Captain instantly spoke up, grasping the gravity of the situation within a second.  
For a split second, Purple recoiled.  
“I- _I didn’t_.”   
The watching eyes of everyone forced him to continue.  
“I only saw the vitals on the monitor in the office change abruptly. I didn’t have the time to check!” He defended himself, a little bit calmer after the first moment of surprise. “ _We need to know where everyone was, right now!_ And then we need to find the body, so we know-“  
“ _So you just called an emergency meeting willy nilly without even knowing half of what is going on?!”_  
One voice silenced all others, as Pink spoke up, sounding absolutely peeved.  
Irritated Purple started at him. “ _What_ -“  
“I was currently busy taking care of the REACTOR. _You know. THE REACTOR THAT WILL KILL US ALL IF IT BLOWS UP?_ I am doing my job and then you call a meeting, forcing me to leave it there. Not only that, you called a meeting for what? _What if Lime’s vital signs simply glitched out?”_  
“Then he would be he-“  
“Oh of course, then he would be here. But that is not my only complaint.” Raising a finger, Pink was ready for a devastating blow. “ _You pushing this button gave whoever took him from us the perfect window of opportunity to get rid of the body.”_  
Mumbles picked back up again as Purple recoiled.  
“What are you implying?!”  
“ _That you killed Lime and decided to call an emergency meeting, so your partner can get rid of them. Bonus that you got all of us distracted from our tasks too._ ”  
“What the HELL?”  
The Captain had remained calm. “Do you have anything to say about that, Purple?”  
“ _I’m_ -“ In quiet panic Purple looked around. “I didn’t mean to do anything like this. I didn’t even think about this! I thought maybe we- _well, you know what Pink?_ Good point. Who are the last three people to arrive?”  
“Easy.” Yellow spoke up, counting them down on her fingers. “The last ones were Cyan, the Captain and…”  
“… and me.” Pink didn’t even look at her, his eyes firmly on the dark visor of his current foe. “That’s true. But I would hardly raise this concern if he was my partner in crime.”  
“ _Unless you want to get rid of a loose end_.” Instantly Purple responded.  
“That would be a stupid way to do it. Too much attention on me. If I were the murderer, I would stay quiet or play exceptionally innocent, not going around pointing fingers.”  
“That is what you want us to think to make yourself less suspicious-“  
“ ** _ENOUGH_**.”  
The Captain had stood up and slammed his fist onto the table, instantly shutting both of them up. _“Lime is probably DEAD and the first thing you two can think of is to accuse each other?!”  
“Someone is **MURDERING** people, Blue!”  
_“ **QUIET, CREWMATE** **PINK**. You ARE right, we do need to find the body first in order to make any judgement, these meetings ARE precious minutes that the Imposter could use to its advantage. **But going around guessing who the killer was is exactly what the killer would want**! Everyone here, we will go in teams to find the body, to figure out if it was an accident or murder.”  
“As if an acc-“  
“YES. I KNOW _. It most likely WASN’T an accident_. But that makes it more important to find the body. If we have a killer among us, it will kill again. No human here has any motivation to harm someone else. Anything that WOULD have the motivation to harm someone else would not lose it with one mere kill.”  
Slowly he looked around.  
“It was good that Purple called this meeting. Now we know to watch our back. That there is something hunting us. Regardless if we find the body or not.”  
Pink had crossed his arms and leaned back.  
“… we go searching for the body now. Okay. What happens if I’m right and we cannot find any trace of them?”  
Slowly everyone turned towards him as the Captain watched him coldly.  
_“… then I will very impressed with your suspiciously great guessing skills. Never imagined having a psychic in my crew_.”  
A cold shudder went down Pink’s neck, it was clear by the way he sat up straighter than before that he knew what these words were supposed to mean.  
“ _C-captain, all I did was-_ “  
“ _Enough_. We wasted time. Everyone? Disperse, groups of three. If you find the body use the emergency feature on your helmet. Do NOT, under ANY circumstances do that if you don’t see a body. Understood?”  
Everyone mumbled in quiet agreement.  
  
Groups formed and they quickly dispersed, the only two left were the Captain and Crewmate Pink.  
For a moment both of them stared at each other.  
Then Pink turned leaving down the hallway, not checking if he was being followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrows prompt - Tongue
> 
> Might not do that one though, since my mind is only jumping to weird stuff on that topic. Dear god help me. If I skip, I'll pick up the day after with "Pizza"!


	11. Starvation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything went wrong.  
> And Red is hungry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short and angsty drabble about a hungry Impostor and their only friend. Lacks total context, but everything went to shit for sure!  
> … this is kinda my attempt to reassure myself after the thoughts I had finishing Bloody Gears (2)  
> Crewmate/Imposter, to be even more exact Cyan/Red.

It was burning hot.  
There was no way to regulate the temperature anymore.  
 _The ship was falling apart._  
Tightly Cyan held their friend inside of the red suit, trying to reassure them.  
  
“ _Everything will be fine. I’m here with you._ ”   
  
Who would have thought?  
That despite everything going on, despite everyone turning on each other…   
Cyan was still here.  
With Red, of course.  
It couldn’t have been any other way. He would have followed Red, even off the ship, into the long dark.  
 _Everyone dies eventually.  
_ It was something Cyan had accepted.   
It was actually quiet the reassuring thought.   
There was no loneliness in death.   
But this here-  
This wasn’t how he imagined it happen.  
They were huddled up, having found a small crack behind the reactor, leading to a little cove. Someone else had stayed here before, it seemed, there even was water and some food.   
Though it wasn’t meant for two.  
They were stuck pressed against each other, close together.  
  
“ _Cyan_?”   
Red’s voice sounded feverish and weak.  
“Yes?”   
“ _Whatever happens… don’t… don’t let me hurt you…”_   
“What- are you sure? We will have to hide here- at least two weeks. Until the distress call will be picked up- _you haven’t eaten in so long_.”  
It was clear by the way Red’s jaw clenched that they were very aware of it.   
“Cyan. If you let me hurt you, I won’t survive this. I won’t be okay. You have to- protect us both.”   
“… are you sure?”   
“ _I’m begging you_.”   
Hesitation.  
Then the gentle touch two hands against their shell.  
“ _Then… I will.”_   
  
It seemed to always grow hotter behind the reactor.  
Made sense though.   
Pink wasn’t here to take care of the maintenance, and everybody else had better things to do than to try and check the coolant.   
Namely, survive, hide or hunt.  
Cyan had taken off his suit but forbade Red from doing the same.   
They would evaporate slowly- at least while inside of the suit they would manage to manage to keep more of their liquid within their own system.   
The water reserves they had were going fast, but Cyan had hope.  
They rationed it well.  
  
There were steps outside from time to time.  
The sound of metal- or claws- dragging over the reactor, not aggressively, but impatiently.  
Every time both Cyan and Red held their breath, almost expecting to somehow having been discovered-  
But it didn’t happen.  
Part of Cyan’s egotistical side was disappointed with it.  
They would die anyways and they would die a wasteful death if they did it behind the reactor, where their meat would not be found.   
Yet he rejected that thought.   
This was about Red.  
Quietly he glanced at his friend that had cuddled into his side, staring into the blank nothingness.   
For a second Cyan was afraid they died, but when they reached out to touch their face, they leaned into it.  
  
There was only so much blood in a human body.  
Cyan insisted on giving Red some every single day.  
It wasn’t nearly enough and not nearly as nutritious as it needed to be…  
 _At least it was something to slow it down.  
_ By now, the reactor was cold.   
And Red’s suit was off.  
Hunger does terrible things to good people.  
It was obvious the way their glance lingered on Cyan’s throat.  
Long, thick strings of saliva dripped down between the shining teeth, only prevented from falling by a long, thin tongue.  
The Crewmate looked at the Imposter.  
Then he reached out to them, gently grasping their cheeks.  
“ _You are doing great, Red. We will get through this. It will be wonderful, once we’re out_.”   
Red’s pupil had shifted from the throat back to his eyes, mournful, before they closed their eyes slowly and gave a weak smile.  
 _“… it will be…”_   
  
Maybe Cyan shouldn’t have agreed to this.  
He wasn’t sad about his friends and crewmates wanting to murder him.  
He never felt upset about probably being a criminal and hunted for the rest of his life, even if he made it out.  
The world was not cruel nor was it good, it was what it was.   
There was no reason to fight or lament it.  
Embrace it as a part of yourself.  
But-  
Seeing Red suffer like this.  
 _It ripped something within him in pieces.  
_ Red’s eye had glossed over, the fever was shaking their body, as small growls and snarls escaped them. They had asked Cyan to stop trying to touch them- they might bite him.   
_And if they did, they might not stop.  
_ Indeed, they had even asked Cyan to stop feeding them with the little blood he had spare, to prevent them going for all of it.  
They had begged.  
 _Please Cyan.  
Please Cyan.  
Stay with them  
Don’t let them destroy it all.   
_Everything that made it worth it.  
For a moment, their eyes met.  
It was almost impossible to recognize Red like that, they seemed like an unhinged monster, shaking in anticipation of the hunt, to use their last reserve to save their life-  
They had shrunk down by now. Eventually Cyan started holding them while they slept, carrying them carefully and warming them a little.   
At least while sleeping, Red still looked like back then.  
It was a little less like last time they were starving.   
They didn’t seem to have to shrink down, instead switching sizes constantly.   
And when Cyan laid down, they crawled on top of him-   
Feeling unnaturally heavy.  
 _The time was now.  
It wanted to feast.   
_But Cyan just smiled.  
  
“ _Hey… Red?”_   
“… yes?”   
It was more of a snarl than an answer.  
“ _You are good at copying people, right?_ ”   
There was no answer, but as long as Cyan knew they were listening, it was okay.  
“ _I learned things by copying too. It’s funny, I think all people do. We even have games around that. Did you ever play a game like that…?”_   
A shudder.  
Red was hungry.  
It was basically the only thing they could perceive.  
That and Cyan slowly pulling out his hand from under them.  
All Red was still able to do was either to kill or to watch.  
Perceive.  
“ _Probably not_. I guess adults don’t play it with each other anymore, so you never had a chance to learn.”   
Cyan pretended to be down about that, before suddenly smiling brightly.  
“Wait! I got it! _How about I show you how it goes?_ ”   
Slowly he said up, moving away from under them.  
Red let it happen.  
 _Deep down they wanted it to happen.  
Despite everything.  
_“Okay, so we have to clap around hands together in a special pattern. There are many patterns to do it- I will show you a few! First though, the simple one. You have to watch me closely and react to the movement I do, responding with the same.”   
Happily he raised his hands and waited.  
Red was feeling so hazy.   
“ _Raise your hands, Red. It’s going to be fine_.”   
It was barely more than a whisper.  
Slowly they did as told.  
Watching.  
Perceiving.  
 _They would copy._  
 _“Watch me closely, Red. I’m still here. Follow my lead._ ”   
Funny.  
How words could mean completely different things, depending on HOW you said them.  
Slowly their little dance began.   
  
_Patty cake  
Patty cake  
Baker’s man…  
_  
In the distance were noises.  
Screams.  
Shots.  
A lot of people.  
New people.  
Help had arrived.  
Red would be able to move with Cyan’s help, but- if Red lost their mind and attacked-  
Then everything they went through was for nothing.  
  
 _Bake me a cake  
As fast  
As you can…_  
  
The shots had quieted down. The rouge crewmates have been dealt with.  
Soon enough, steps echoed down the hall towards the reactors, steps looking for survivors, people innocently hiding…  
Cyan smiled.  
“Red?”   
There was a low noise from the other, who seemed hypnotized by the simple rhythm between their hand.  
“Red. We will play another round. That round will need all your focus.”   
Moving back a bit, he grabbed Red’s helmet and gently put it own.  
“ _Watch me closely. And do exactly as I do. Okay? Focus on moving just like me, nothing else._ ”   
  
One step.  
 _Copy._  
Another step.  
 _Copy._  
Finally.  
They were free.   
A crewmate and his Imposter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news everyone, my backup of Among Us one-shots has been depleted and I'll upload MUCH slower from this point onwards.  
> REJOICE! NO LONGER SHALL I HOG THE "NEW" SECTION WITH WAY TOO MANY UPDATES.  
> But yeah, it'll be a bit slower from now on, most of my ideas are out for now ^w^
> 
> I have a few things in mind still, but I'm not sure how to write them, so they'll not come out anytime soon. Feel free to give me ideas though! And maybe The Friend will have something for you guys in the meantime ;3


	12. Bleeding Gears (3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a night passes, everyone comes back to their tasks eventually.  
> It just so happen that some people's tasks are... different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not only part 3 of Bleeding gears, also a little entry to the prompt "Emergency Meeting".  
> It's a fully on chapter though, so it gets its own spot instead!
> 
> No major warnings for this chapter!  
> Written by The Friend!  
> Oh, but also, we did a fun little mix-writing. Certain parts were written by me (mainly my characters), so if the flow turns wonky, do tell and next time we'll try something different- but writing like this was super fun, so if it's a good read, we might continue on like it! Depends a little on what works!  
> It's just nice to be able to write our characters into the flow, instead of having to discuss what would happen and how beforehand ;3
> 
> Enjoy!

The silence of the ship is pulled along by the constant, background noises of The Medbay. The heavy hum of the engine, all the quiet beeping from the machines testing and idling in their places along the walls, and something bubbling nearby, whatever that is.  
Purple's hands softly type away on his computer behind his desk, his visor watching down on the laptop screen with his helmet put aside on the floor, filling out the rest of Red's medical files as he instead wears the little yellow crown on his head.

Red lays in one of the beds, having to accept that Purple isn't going to discharge them again for a second time.  
_"You're staying here."_ He told them.   
_"I don't know where the other one went, but I would have told him the same if he didn't leave out the door on the drop of a dime. I rather not deal with the blood of two people on my hands if something happens, Cyan was never a point of concern for me but The Captain expects me to keep watch of you. So stop talking back and go lay down."_

Red didn't _want_ to sleep in The Medbay, but Purple's got a point with how the doors are locked until morning. It's better to stay _here_ if anything happens, but Red can't help but wonder where Cyan went during all of this then. He was locked out too, wasn't he? 

Their head rolls over a little bit to see him in his corner, as he clicks away. Red can hear Purple make little beeps and bops to himself as well, assumingly talking to himself as he thinks. He doesn't seem to mind that Red isn't sleeping.   
His eye slides over on his faces' screen and catches Red's, his heartrate a calm beat behind it. 

"Well." He says casually, his voice having that processed, fuzzy quality to it. "I guess we both can't sleep, huh."

"No." Red mumbles. It sucks, so _much_ has happened today, and they _know_ they need to rest. And yet… 

"Perhaps something is bothering you?" He asks them on the side, having most of his focus on his computer.  
"No." Red says again. "I'm just… tired. I want to sleep but it's not working."

"Hm." He stops for a moment and then continuously taps one button on the keyboard, before going back to a normal typing rhythm. "Well, that's mostly a problem done by _you_. I don't know what I can do to help on that front, I would say to use something but…" Purple looks up, thinking while one hand taps it's pointer finger on the counter.

"Anything given you in terms of sedation would carry over it's effects during work, seeing how we're so close to morning now. I don't want to medicate you if you're still going to be drowsy for the first half of the day." 

"Ah. Well shit, thanks anyways." Red sighs, not really wanting to banter about that. If they're so close to morning, Red would rather just tough it out instead of grabbing a handful of sleep to carry them out. They laid there, before clicking something in their head. 

Wait a minute.   
What is _he_ still doing up? 

"Purple," Red starts. "Shouldn't _you_ be sleeping too?" Purple's face scrunches up a little at hearing that, before closing the laptop down itself with a muffled _clap._

"I should be." He states. "Hard to go into sleepmode though when you have two power sources. You can turn off a battery, but not an engine." He doesn't seem pleased in saying that.   
Red tries to… well, wrap that around their head. 

"So… ? You've got like, _two_ hearts right?" Is that what he means by all that? 

Purple sighs, and sinks down deeper into his wheelie chair behind his desk. "In squishy organic terms, yes. The best I can do is stay on standby, but I don't remember the last time I fully shut down." 

Red quickly tries to pick apart what he said, and tries to figure out the weird technical talk he's saying to their terms of understanding.

 _Fully shutting down must mean that he can't really deep sleep like the humans._ Red guesses. It sounds like the best Purple can do is the A.I equivalent of shutting his eyes for fifteen minutes. 

"Do you think that's something you can fix?" Red asks, trying to keep things light. 

"I hope so." Purple takes off his little crown too, and puts it ontop of his laptop. It's surface is glossy and clean even in the darkness, and it somehow seems _too_ pristine compared to Purple's metal face and body being covered in light scratches and scrapes. "But I am only one person. I would think that trying to repair or replace something inside of me would take _more_ than just me. I don't know anyone who's got the credibility that I would think is _good_ enough to be poking around in my chest, but now is not the time for that."

He gets up from his spot, and walks away to the other side of the room from Red, and sits on the edge of another bed.   
"We all have three hours left until the locks are up, so I don't want to talk to you anymore."

 _Oh._ Red thought, a bit miffed. _Well shit, fine then._ Purple _could_ have worded it better, but it's good to assume that after what happened with Cyan sneaking in here, he's not really in an overall good mood. 

Red pulls the blanket over their head, smelling it's clean, slightly plastic smell to it and closes their eye again. 

The door is shifted open. 

Red jumps and sits up, the blanket sliding off of their face as Purple is already there slamming the door back shut. "Piece of shit…" he mumbles, re-locking it. He turns to Red and gently kicks the bedframe they're sleeping on. "Get up. It's morning. Hurry up and put your helmet back on before someone comes and tries to open this again." 

"It's morning?" They asked. _"Now???"_

"Yes." He puts his own helmet on too, placing the little crown on top, his voice immediately being hidden within it. 

It doesn't _feel_ like morning. They _just_ closed their eye, didn't they? 

But the voices outside proves them wrong. Four hours flies by when you're sleeping. Red quickly scrabbles over their side of the bed and rolls the red helmet into their hands as they sit up more and put it on.  
The intercom starts to clear out the voices better, and Red can hear the jumbled voices of Green, Pink, The Captain, and a few others who are too far away to discern. 

"Come on Red, get to standing order." Purple fuzzes through the comm. "I can hear Blue walking down here."

Red swings their legs over the bed and stands up, stumbling a little with one foot caught in the sheets before getting themselves free. They hastily throw the blanket back over the bed as the door opens again for Blue to walk in.  
  
The Captain looked around in the medbay, quickly focusing in on the two people inside, that seemed to carry around a weird sense of guilt. As though they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t.  
Then again, to Blue most people looked liked that. It probably had to do with how abruptly he entered rooms.  
“... you two.” He made sure to deliberately face one, then the other. “What have you been up to? And may I ask why Cyan is sleeping outside of the doors?”  
Indeed, besides the door the neon colored crewmate was curled up on the floor, seemingly still asleep, despite the rustling going on.  
The Captain didn’t seem very amused about seeing one of his crewmates in a situation like this.  
“ _Why was he even out here? Did he try to get in? Why? Answer me already, you two_!”  
Well- rather difficult, seeing as these words had been coming out of his mouth like rapid fire. 

_Oh shit._ Red didn't know that he was out there. So _that's_ where Cyan went, sitting outside the door like a cat wanting to come back in. "We have no idea he was out there, sir." Red says, truthfully on their end. 

"He is not a concern to me." Purple flats out. Red had to stop themselves from giving him the dirtiest look in his direction. _The fuck are you doing?!_ They thought, shocked. _This is not a good look for you right now!_

"We were unaware of his doings outside, and could have not let him in when we were already sleeping like we're supposed to." Purple continues, making a story all while throwing Cyan under the bus all at the same time. "We just now learned of this from you. Whatever he was doing must've been on his own, we don't know anything."  
  
Theoretically, that might be a clever plan, effective and believable.  
Practically though…  
… what would Cyan say when he would wake him up?  
He didn’t have the time to ask what kind of story he was expected to tell! 

Blue was not moving at all, which meant he was probably frowning below the visor. But he simply shook his head. “So you are telling me that you are incapable of waking up when someone bangs on your door at midnight? What if it was an emergency? What if something attacked Cyan? We should be able to contact you in case of emergency, did that malfunction? Do you need Pink to look into that?”  
Shortly he paused, then shook his head.  
“... it probably wasn’t that important, knowing Cyan.” 

"If Cyan had come to the door in a panic, we would have heard and done something. He simply just didn't do so." Purple explains a little lofitly, before clearing his throat and getting rid of the slightly smug tone in his voice. 

Without any further hesitation, he crouched down to roughly shake the crewmate awake, who started to flail violently.  
“WH-WHAT? What h-happened?! Did I die-”  
“Cyan.”  
“Oh. Captain. Guess… _I didn’t_.” For a moment he allowed his disappointment to linger, before abruptly jumping up as though someone had shoved a jumper cable into his neck. “RED! RED!!! RED! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHY DIDN’T YOU FOLLOW ME- I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THE MACHINE AND-” 

Thankfully at that point, his low blood sugar and unfortunate lying position caught up with him and he stumbled, both over his words and his own feet.  
“Whew, I see- only white- that’s not good, haha…” 

Red, on the other hand, was thrown into a confused panic before watching Cyan collapse on himself over his feet.   
Red quickly kneels down and drags him up a little better to a sitting position, not wanting to _just_ ignore him like Purple is. 

Blue, who had watched the display rather unimpressed, turned to Purple.  
“... give him a check up. Red, you return back onto your position. I hope you have slept enough- because if not, then this little exception I made for you, Purple, will be a one time thing and you will no longer be allowed to keep crewmates around past the evening call.”  
  
"Yes, sir." They refirm at hearing Blue, giving Cyan's head a pat before stepping over Cyan and quickly making their way out of the room.

"I will be sure to do so." Purple responds, watching Red leave. "I don't think it needs to be anything more than a one-time thing, originally Red was supposed to be here sooner. I don’t plan on holding anyone else in here after hours."  
  
“It was a privilege that I gave you. Terrible things can happen when you keep a crewmate out late at night, when the others are too far away to properly help you.” The Captain chastised Purple. “Even if it was a one time thing in your mind, I took a huge risk allowing you to do this, because I trusted your judgement. Do not make me consider that a mistake.”  
Always “all or nothing”. The Captain seriously needed to learn to differentiate between serious risks and situations that could POTENTIALLY MAYBE SOMETIMES be risky.  
Then again, a man sleeping with a knife under his pillow is a fool on every night but one. 

Cyan had almost rushed off to follow Red, but was kept behind by the Captain roughly grabbing him by the scruff, like a misbehaving kitten.  
“... if everything is fine with Cyan- aside from minor sleep-deprivation, I’ll assume- you can just discharge him. I only want to make sure he didn’t catch something and spreads it around.” 

".... Yes sir." Purple takes the chastising, knowing better than to talk back. "I'll give Cyan a rundown on his health, and if nothing comes up then we should be fine." He says, gently taking his hand onto Cyan's shoulder. "I doubt that he got sick with anything, but there's nothing wrong in being too sure."

Quietly he shook his head at the upset seeming crewmate.  
Hard to believe that he was certified to fly with a ship like this one, but…  
Never mind that.  
“Get this done Purple. You know your tasks, so I won’t expect you at the morning meeting, neither will I expect Cyan. And… knowing Red, they won’t think of it either, because I send them off. For today that is fine.” He nodded and then turned to instruct the rest of the crew on their tasks for today.  
  
Purple takes a moment to look at Cyan. "Go ahead and take a seat in one of the beds, and I'll see you shortly." He turns back to Blue before moving onto with his current patient. "I'll be sure to make it to the meeting tomorrow."  
  
“I expected as much.” Was the only thing that came back, the Captain clearly was already somewhere else in thought.  
Cyan on the other hand seemed rather defeated, sitting on the bed and kicking his feet, looking down. 

When the door swished close and he was sure the Captain wouldn’t hear, he sighed.  
“... did I mess up that bad by sleeping outside…? I just- the door was suddenly closed and you guys couldn’t hear me, but I didn’t want to use an emergency thingy, because I was scared that someone else would be informed and-”  
Breaking off, he hung his head in shame, the flower drooping too.  
“I’m sorry, Doc…”  
  
Purple lets his shoulders down a little after hearing The Captain go out of range.

"No, it's- that's fine, kid." He huffed tiredly, turning around to go to his desk and taking out a clipboard. "You shouldn't have left in the first place, I know that you were talking about The Cafeteria, but I thought you would have waited until tomorrow? Don't you _know_ that wandering is dangerous at night?"  
  
A tad flustered he laughed. “Isn’t it being dangerous part of the appeal…? I didn’t even go that far… it was just dark and kinda cold out. The suit held a good bit of it off though, I guess.”  
Sure, if he was being honest with himself, running off without thinking had been a bad idea in general. He didn’t really plan to sleep at all and didn’t consider if his new friends would want to either. 

"Danger isn't appealing to me." Purple sideyes. "Danger is _scary_ and I rather not be involved with that." Purple _hates_ being scared. It's no fun and makes you do bad ideas without giving you the time to think.

Purple digs through his desk drawers to find a pen. "It's good that you found your way back here, but honest to God, we didn't hear you." Cyan perhaps wasn't loud enough, or maybe Purple _did_ manage to shut down, but it's good that he didn't raise his voice or started knocking any louder, because then the others downstairs would have known.  
_At least he kept that in mind._ Purple thought over.

"But at least you're still here. That's what most people are concerned of, so that worry can be put to rest." He takes his papers under his arm and walks over the metal floor back to him, his heavy footsteps clunking like the slow, persistent pistons of a factory machine.

“I was fine! Just a bit concerned. Thought you might give Red an earful because of what I did… _sorry for shoving you into a vent_.”  
That last part was half a mumble. Until now he had refused to acknowledge it, but a few hours in the cold outside could really change your perspective.  
“... _won’t happen again_ … probably.”  
_Never say never._  
  
"You _and_ Red has gotten an earful about this." Purple tells Cyan.  
"You _should_ be sorry for shoving me down a vent, you cost me an arm!" He had to take himself apart to replace a metal set in the joint of his left elbow, his _writing_ hand, remind you. Purple is clearly _not_ very happy about this.   
"Seeing how you _came out of the thing_ to get in here, you should know how far those vents go into the floor! I could have broken my screen because of you if I didn't land on my side!"  
  
“I- didn’t think about that!” Cyan attempted to defend himself. “I didn’t even know you were a robot! I just walked in and suddenly you were made out of metal, I was a little more concerned about Red anyways-” 

"Speaking of being a robot-" Purple interjects.  
_"Don't say a word about this secret of mine._ Me AND Red, and you too. Whatever people will ask of us, don't tell anyone what happened last night. Even if hinting at it like _"Letting Red bite me for blood"_ people will see that as a cause of suspicion and set the alarm off. I know you don't want Red to get thrown out, which would be the person who has the most eyes on them out of the three of us." 

Grabbing Cyan's arm, he pushes up his sleeve to examine the bite marks Red left behind.

A little bit he shook his head, some hidden disapprovement behind his next words.  
“And about the scary thing… you are aware that everything is scary, right? You are on a ship that could break down and kill us all in ten different ways. You work next to vents, someone could go out of there and stab you. You are traveling to a faraway planet where anything could be. Walking is scary. Standing is scary. Sleeping is scary. Waking up is scary. You can always get hurt. Why not embrace the fact that the world is dangerous as something- good? Because if it weren’t, then every moment would be the same.” 

"Cyan-" he sighed, hearing his patient go off on a Philosophical Tangent so early in the morning. _"Everything_ is scary to me. Some things are scarier than others, and I hate it all. To feel safe on this ship may not be possible, but it's not like _that_ can be something that can be fixed. Hard to enjoy something when you _know_ you're no better than being left outside in the wild. I don't know how some of you have fun working on this ship."  
  
“Because it’s exciting! You really shouldn’t be here if you are scared, seeing as space is pretty much the deadliest thing- not that I don’t like having you here!” In a sudden burst of panic, Cyan tried to reassure his friend. “It’s GREAT that you are, I’m happy to have met you, but- you know. It’s a little bit better to stay somewhere where… literally just existing won’t constantly threaten you…?”  
Just an idea.

Maybe he just wouldn’t get why Purple was here then. In a world that was so terrifying. 

He watched patiently as Purple investigated his arm, but frowned displeased at the implication of telling others what happened last night.  
“Of course I won’t mention it to anything. I might have my head in the clouds, but I’m not stupid!”  
… he was very sure those two were different things.  
“I know most of our crewmates would feel nervous and unhappy if they knew about these things and they really don’t deserve to be spooked on their own ship. I won’t mention it to soul.” 

He leans a little behind himself to dig through what he brought with him as he sits with Cyan. Some rubbing alcohol and a paper towel.  
"Good that we'll be keeping this to ourselves." He nods. 

"I don't want anybody to be getting into my business or bothering yours. Knowing Red, they might just ignore anyone who comes up to them. But keep in mind that whatever happens between you two should stay out of my workroom. I don't want to see you having them bite you like that again, it's _unprofessional."_

Purple begins to dress Cyan's arm down with the alcohol, gently washing out anything else that could have been left behind.

"I didn't choose to be here." Purple humbles down to Cyan, bringing his arm a little closer. The marks were raw and red, Red's teeth left large splits in his arm from how thick they are at their base. It looks like Cyan has at least managed to wash it, but Purple's programming insists him to keep disinfecting it anyways.  
"I am here because I really had nowhere else to go. So, I may as well have digged my own grave at this point. I just refuse to sleep in it. If there is a chance that I can survive whatever might happen on here, then I will take that number with both hands." 

Cyan quieted down, trying to really take these words in.  
_Nowhere else to go._  
Now that sounded like a very terrible fate.  
He didn’t really think about it, but- robots didn’t really have the option to die, did they? The option to move on and hope for a better afterlife- if it existed or not.  
Grim. 

It put Purple in a rather different light. When before he only knew him as the snarky, no-nonsense and cold-blooded doc that could solve any issue and resisted panic at any wound, now he realized that maybe Purple just used such a front to protect himself from…  
… from everything that was scary.  
Must be a rather lonely life.  
The rest of his words halfway washed passed him. But despite being distracted, he tried to string together a halfways sensible answer.

“Uh- no, it’s okay. I have nobody who would talk to me about private stuff anyways.”  
Eventually most people started avoiding Cyan, maybe because he kept lists on what was most likely to kill each crewmate, based on a little chance calculation.  
_All the chances were extremely low, but for some reason it still seemed to bother them._

"That's understandable." Purple mumbles to him, the normally rough tone being softened down. "I've been noticing how people don't really stay in the same room as you. Whenever or not it's _your_ fault, I can imagine how bothersome it can get sometimes. Silence can drive men mad from what I've been told." He wipes the rest of what was left behind on Cyan's arm, trying to keep him from flinching too much from the antiseptics, and begins to wrap his arm in gauze.

Happily he smiled at his first words, as though the previous conversation never even happened. “Don’t feel bad for me please! I don’t feel lonely, because I can talk to myself!”  
… better than nothing?

“I’m fine on my own. If I’m okay on my own, then whenever someone spends time with me I know it’s genuine. Like with you now!”  
Maybe that wasn’t such a bad trait. 

Perhaps Purple wouldn’t understand it, but being able to fully trust another human being wasn’t as common as it should be. Even if only minor insecurities broke a whole friendship apart… it was easier when he was being avoided. There was always something genuine to those who bothered sitting down with and listening to him.

“I’ll- get back to work, I think. I don’t want to take up too much of your time! Thank you for looking after me.” 

"Get something to eat once I'm done here, having Red bleed a quart out of you is going to make you feel like hot air and cause problems with your motor functions, like using your hands. I always have cold water in here, that you know. So don't forget to take that with you when you leave."  
  
Jumping off the bed, he gave Purple one last energetic thumbs up, to ensure him that he was doing fine, then made his way to the door.  
“You’re right, I should get myself something! Maybe I’ll catch Red and can show him how to use the sandwich machine while at it! And you, doc-” 

For a moment he seemed a bit unsure and the smile that returned onto his face was a little bit calmer, a little bit meeker.  
“... don’t worry about the ship. A ship is as safe as its crew and if you ask me, we have the best people on the planet working together to make it the safest thing on earth. Have faith in us, we’ll all look out for you... I promise you, everything will work out well for all of us.” 

With that he finally slipped out, perhaps a little embarrassed about how brash these words were. Reassurance wasn’t his forté, but he said what he believed in.  
And maybe he had been a bit brash.  
_How would anyone be able to fulfill a promise like this?_

"Stay big out there, boy." Purple's quiet words trail away at seeing his Crewmate's bright colors disappear down the hall. 

_"Have faith in us, we’ll all look out for you... I promise you, everything will work out well for all of us.”_ Cyan's words echo in his head.  
Purple doesn't know about that… he _really_ wants to believe in it, but it's just so hard to have faith in something so… _unpredictable._ Anything could happen on here, and he's none the wiser of it.  
He doesn't like that very much, but like he said… if there's a small number that he could make it all out, then he's willing to count on it.

How easy it was for someone to slip into the gears of his chest like that, to really stop and consider the words of someone after just, sitting down and talking with them for a bit. Cyan's really left him with something to think about, can he really… ? Feel safe in a place like this? 

Purple's not sure, but he's got work to do. He knows his tasks. Something like the wandering thoughts about his safety of his future can be dealt with later. Maybe talked with later.  
Maybe with Cyan. 

Purple would like that.

He walks back to his desk and opens his laptop, and returns to his typing. 

The clicks and beeps of the machines continue to sound themselves in the silence of the ship. Every room was filled with it, not only Purple's. Even Red, who was merely passing by them, was constantly distracted by another especially loud beep. The voices of the radio talk in and out of themselves through the static all around Red as they continued to monitor their screens. Each one displaying different types of information, from wavelengths to where it's being broadcast from, to the logs they've been entered to. 

So far, nothing really good has happened. Most of the chatter has been junk, if you don't count the obvious sidetalk like the weather. Red clicks down the screen and enters the past hour of what they've received so far. 

_"Current time. 8:30 A.M, Sunday. Oxygen levels at 100%, and temperature running at 65 degrees F. No changes have been made so far to-"_

The neighboring screen next to Red blips up a new message that's been received to them. 

_"Electrical: Redirect power to Reactor."_

_Ah._ They've got something new to do. Red tends to finish their tasks earlier than others, being more efficient. They don't really have anything going on to really distract them, anyways. A quick scroll through the rest of their left on that monitor shows that nothing else is needed of them aside from that. _"Admin: Swipe card."_ Completed. _"Cafeteria: Clean trash."_ Completed. _"Storage: Fix Wires."_ Completed. 

Red stood up from their own silly wheelie chair, and pushed it in. They still feel a little… _off_ from last night. Lots of things have happened, huh. Red's tongue dragged itself over their teeth. 

Perhaps that should wait. 

They quickly dust off their dress suit that they have on over their uniform, and walk out into the hall. The Electrical Room should only be like, what? Two rooms away? Red just has to go through Storage first. 

Already, Red can hear people talking as they walk into Storage. They can't pick out the words and _what_ they're talking about, but the colors don't shy away from it. 

Pink and White. They're next to the wire panel in the top hall where it leads into The Admin Room and The Cafeteria.

Red takes note of this, and walks across the room, keeping their eye down on the floor. 

_"I cannot believe you just threw those things out!"_ Someone buffers through the intercom. Most likely Pink.  
_"Don't you get how important something like metal is?! I could have used those!"_

 _"Oh, calm your shit Pink."_ The other voice talks down. _"It's trash, why would you give a shit about it so much. It was in the trash chute, so it's trash. I did my task and got rid of it outside."_

 _"But it's NOT trash!"_ He rebuked hotly. _"Scrap can be reused! I could have done something with that! Welded it or replace something, don't you know how to plan ahead with these kinds of things?!"_

 _"Surely."_ That part was said unsettlingly sharp, as if he planned to pull something out from behind him to prove it. 

_"Okay, get this. I'll try to keep in mind your weird scrap needs the next time I do my chores, but I suggest to get the stuff yourself before someone else ejects it. Saving bits and pieces is not our jobs."_

_"You SHOULD keep that in mind."_ Pink insisted angrily right after. _"I'm so tired of having to tell everyone to not throw things away that could be used for something else! Am I the only one who thinks about these kinds of things? Because it sure does feel like it!"_

The two voices start to buzz a little more into being incomprehensible as Red made it into the other doorway and down into Electrical, their connection getting interfered with the wall inbetween them and Red. 

The room itself was filled with electrical whatnots, wires and breakerboards and power servers with lockers lining the left wall. The vent sits in the top left corner of the floor, blowing in cold air to prevent the room from getting overheated with all the stuff that's in here. 

Well, the wires, (from where Red is standing at the doorway) can already be seen with their multicolored plastic and frayed ends. It looks like someone tried to tear them out and the wires snapped halfway through the action. One of the wires, the yellow one, is doing just fine.

That's-

Red gave it the suspicious eye.  
They speedwalk their way over to stand in front of it.

The yellow wire, although hanging out of the box a little, has no damage to it _at all._ Just… simple and clean, even if it's out of it's spot by a bit. The other wires above it though, look like they've been mangled by a dog. Or someone dragging a finger down each one of them until they snapped and broke. 

It's…. _weird._

Red doesn't like this. It feels too unorthodox. Like it was _planned,_ but only taken halfway through. 

Red's willing to think that this even might be a _sabotage.  
_A _sabotage_ that's been interrupted halfway through. Yeah. 

It _definitely_ feels incomplete. They want to call the alarm with this…. but shouldn't those be used for emergencies only? 

To set off the alarm and say- _"I am suspicious and feel weird about this one thing, but like, that's it yeah sorry :/"_?  
That won't be of any good, and probably bother one or two people. Something more _feasible_ should be brought to the table than _"weirdness with the wires."_

Red sighed, and lifted up their hands to fix the wires themsleves. 

Oh, hell with that. Look at them, making a fire with a candle. They shouldn't overthink these kinds of things so early in the day. The morning _just_ started! 

Blue wire to the top, and the pink one straight across the- 

"Ahah-owh!" The pink wire decided to get rebellious and shock Red's hand, insistent that _no, they DON'T want to get put away._

A second of recoil and shaking the glove out, Red returns back to the panel like as if that didn't happen. Because, yeah.  
Let's _not_ talk about that and how Red mistaken the other pink end with red. 

One, two and the task is done. Simple and _not_ confusing _,_ obviously. Red simply was just… moving a little _too_ fast for them to catch their accident. 

"There." Cool, now to get out of here. Red _hates_ being in this room. Green says _that's_ where that… _thing_ is. Telling spooky stories during lunch about a transparent body that blips in and out like they're a glitch to the universe. 

_"A ghost!"_ He would say in surprise, the goofy smile being heard in his voice. _"A person who wears the color of fortegreen! They haunt the ship during the quiet hours of the day!"_

 _"Nobody here wears that color, dork."_ Purple would sass him. _"We're the first people to be The Crew and board this ship. Unless this "ghost" followed someone here from another place then I don't think that shit's real."_

 _"Oh, but you better watch out with what you say. They might come after you if they hear that!"_ And that was followed by Purple throwing a handful of napkins in Green's direction.

Red shook their heads to get that thought out. God, they need to stop scaring themselves! Having a _bit_ of suspicion towards stuff is healthy, but not to _everything._

They walk around the half-wall that's in the middle of the room and make their way to the door.

Ah.

If the door was _open.  
_When did this close? Was Red thinking too much to hear it slide shut?  
One, two solid _bonks bonks_ from Red's hand as they knock on the door, before looking at the side of it to see if the locks are on this side of the wall.

Something thin and metallic _chick-tic_ clatters open far off in the back of the room.  
Red stops. Frozen, looking out of the edge of their helmet for _whatever_ that is.  
_Something else is in here.  
_

Immediately Red starts counting off the other people they've seen today. 

_White and Pink are in The Storage the last time I saw them._ Red recounts to them as someone's footsteps walk closer.  
_I caught Black in The Admin when I went down the upper hall. Cyan was with Purple and Blue in The Medbay at the start of today. Everyone else was in The Cafeteria waiting for the morning meeting to start._

This doesn't give much for Red to work off of. This could be _anyone._

They finally tear their eyes away to look for the door's switch locks on the wall.

Of course, it's not _on_ this side of the wall.  
_Shit._ Red doesn't like this at _all.  
_It all feels too planned out. Their suspicion starts to rise up again with newfound reason.

The task, the incomplete wires. The way the door locked with only _them_ inside. It feels like a half-baited attempt that actually worked.  
Finding the wires felt like a genuine mistake if the imposter _actually_ tried to cut them all but didn't have time, but it doesn't seem to matter now that Red really has nowhere else to go.

Red banged the door a little more with the side of their fist.  
_"Hey!!"_ They yelled. _"Up! Up!! Pink are you still out there?!"  
_If he's _still_ in The Storage room, Pink _should_ be able to pick up on Red's voice through the wall's interference with how Red is raising their voice. 

Instead of hearing their crewmate's voice,

_Something clicks behind them._

Red turns around to be face to face with White.

White grabs out for Red's helmet and slams them against the door, his own growling getting louder in the intercom. Something red is seeping in the collar of his gray shirt, and Red could _smell it._

Even through the helmet's vent system, Red can tell that's _blood._ Not _human blood_ , either. It's red, but it doesn't smell like it should. Just like Cyan's own blood, this has a _weird_ touch to it. And in his case, _White's blood smells like sugar._

Sugar that's been melted down into a liquid inside a pot on the stove, something you would mix into hard candy. 

Red fights back, grabbing onto his shoulder and with their other hand, throwing a solid punch to the side of his helmet. He coils back from that before one hand tried to scratch down Red's chest. They grab onto his shoulders with both hands and throw him aside, White stumbling back but managing to stay on his feet as he throws a metal plate at them.

Red flinches from that and just barely avoids it as it crashes behind them against the door of a locker. 

_No more of this._ They thought.  
They _hate_ this. Red _hates_ knowing that they've just walked into a trap that wasn't even finished setting up. Red has every reason to think that the other person they're fighting with is the one who set it up. He just tried to _kill_ them. 

This is _intentional.  
_And Red would have no qualms about fighting back. Perhaps taken to Blue. He'll probably deal with him better than Red could, which would be just _killing_ the man.

That sounds _good_ actually _._ Red _wants that._

_When was the last time they've ever killed someone?_

Red lunges for White, grabbing his arm and pulling him down on the floor as they grab their hands around his neck.

White holds onto their gloves, before reaching up and tugging down on their dress suit's collar. 

_Just… one.. more…_

Choking someone to death shouldn't be that hard. It's clean, and can easily be seen as an accident. White should have known better than to go after _them._

 _Just count to ten.  
_Red has been counting to ten ever since the doors closed.  
Anything can happen in a handful of seconds.

_Eight…_

Red needs to come up with something if someone walks on them though. If the doors are still closed after this, Red could just use the vents to appear in The Medbay, given that Purple isn't there. They could always just wait in there too until the doctor leaves. 

_Nine…_

Thinking about the vents, actually… that's probably what White used to _get_ here. Red quickly invisions the ship's floorplan as they looked up and around themselves.  
White was in The Storage with Pink, and The Medbay is _just_ a few minutes away if you walk straight up the hall into The Cafeteria and take a left. 

Hell, no wonder he got here so fast.  
Red looks back down at the person underneath them, who's putting up a _surprisingly_ strong fight for being strangled. 

_Ten-_

The alarm went off. 

The silent halls began to blare with noise.

The alarm went off, sharp and clean, scaring _both_ White and Red as they scrambled away from each other, the door of Electrical finally opening again with a _pshhtsh._

_"Everyone get over here!"_

It's Purple. 

His voice is a _bitch_ to hear through his static, along with the alarm beeping overhead, but his tone of voice says that whatever he found, it's not any good. 

Red stumbles to get back on their feet, as they see White leave the side of their vision as the same metallic scratching sound is heard at the back of the room.

 _That bastard.  
_But that will have to wait. 

Red snarls their teeth to themselves under their helmet.  
Maybe this will be a good opportunity to bring this up during the meeting if Purple, the one who called it, allows that. 

They quickly get up and run out the door, passing Black as they run with him to the main table in The Cafeteria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plottwist, apparently it's the prequel to "Emegency Meeting"!  
> Bet'cha didn't expect that, huh?  
> Well me neither. But I was very happy and excited about it! As well as about the new introduced characters. GOOD STUFF! 
> 
> Hope you guys had fun!


	13. Impostober - Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know?  
> Pizza is worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Light-hearted! Super non-serious! Playing in a slightly different universe!  
> Hope you guys will have fun!

The button had been pressed and everyone gathered together, looking around, trying to guess what happened while Red stood silently at the head of the table, waiting for everyone to arrive.  
Nobody was missing.  
The Captain spoke up first, once everyone was together.  
“Crewmate Red. What happened? Did you see any sort sabotage going on? Nobody seems to be harmed, so why did you call this meeting?”   
Slowly the glare of the red helmet moved from one crewmate to the other, ensuring they had everyone’s attention.  
The tension was almost to much to bear.  
Finally-  
“Does anyone want some pizza?”   
If it was quiet before, it was dead silent now.   
Without a hint of an emotion Blue kept staring.  
“… did you really call and emergency meeting… to ask… if we wanted pizza?”   
“Yes!”   
“Crewmate Red. We are in SPACE. We can’t just get ourselves pizza. You’re on this SHIP and you must finish your tasks and call out anything suspicious.”  
“What if I’m done with my tasks?”   
“You are not done with your tasks.”   
“But what if I WERE done with my tasks?”   
“Then you would wait until everyone else is done too.” In disbelief Blue shook his head. “You can’t just- order pizza as a crewmate! Focus!”   
Everyone else had been mumbling to each other, then Cyan spoke up. “What if they die? Can they leave the set and order pizza?”   
A quiet groan came from the Captain. He knew where this was going. “… yes. If they were dead, they can leave and take a break.”   
Cyan pressed the vote button. “I don’t know man, wanting pizza is kinda sus!”   
Happily Red beamed at his friend. “You want one too?”   
“Yeah! Please! I’d like one with mushrooms!”   
“Okay, one with mushrooms.”  
Pink pressed the voting button too. “I’ll take one too. Though only a regular one.”   
Lime followed swift. “Can I have a pizza margherita?”   
Everyone voted for Red and gave their order, while the Captain just hid his face in pure despair.   
“Aren’t we supposed to be LEARNING something here…?”   
But too late, Red was swiftly and joyfully kicked out, with the promise to come back soon.  
The rest went back to their tasks, all far too distracted and excited to focus on the training exercise.  
  
Still, it went almost well until-  
“Okay, we figured out who is guaranteed innocent due to them proving themselves and having a watertight alibi for every body found. The last remaining suspicious members must now-“   
“GUYS I GOT THE PIZZA!”   
Instantly the meeting dissolved as everyone cheered at the arriving Red.   
The Captain hissed.  
“RED. Go to the side. You’re dead.”   
Everyone instantly went silent, turning back to the Captain.  
Giving him a pleading look.   
He just gave them a glare.  
Then Cyan stood up.  
“Guys, let’s just vote each other off then.”   
Instantly Blue stood up too. “You can’t just DO that. You’re guaranteed not the impostor.”   
The neon colored crewmate huffed, then threw the back of his hand on his forehead, dramatically. “Okay, well- I throw myself off the ship! I give in to the terror and insanity and decide I rather die in space than to an Impostor!”  
“ _That’s not an option you HAVE.”_   
“WHAT!? Why NOT? I could totally do that in the real life!” He scoffed. “That would be unrealistic to deny! Next thing you know we can’t even use the VENTS to get fast around the ship!”  
 _“Cyan- did you- did you use the VENTS!? YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO USE THE VENTS. ONLY IMPOSTORS SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO THAT. IF YOU DID, THE WHOLE EXERCISE BECAME MEANINGLESS-“  
 **“IF ITS’ MEANINGLESS, CAN I GO GET PIZZA NOW?!”  
**_ Broken and battered Blue just slammed his face onto the table.  
“… yes.”   
Everyone cheered again, rushing towards Red to get their food and taking off their suits, chattering, while the Captain of this whole operation was left behind.  
He had a ragtag bunch of people here- humans with and without parasites, robots, aliens- yet none of them seemed fit to survive in space.  
Or to even listen to simple instructions.   
Really, he was tired of trying to teach them things, as necessary as it was. He didn’t really believe that anything he tried stuck with them and he was certain that in a real life or death situation, they all would crumble and turn on each other.  
… he wasn’t get paid enough for this.   
Overworked and underpaid, stuck in this damn loop, the only one aware...  
Especially knowing that all he was trying was pointless was agonizing, everything he was trying to teach them would go to waste, they weren’t stupid, but they just didn’t CARE-  
A sudden call ripped him out of his bleak thoughts.  
“HEY! GUYS! The captain doesn’t have a pizza!”   
“What!? Why?!”   
Red looked at his little note. “He didn’t even order one!”   
Before Blue could react, he was surrounded by the crewmates.  
“Captain! You should have some of mine!”   
“Of mine too! Do you like extra pepper on your pizza?”   
“We can’t just leave you without food, sir!”   
“Yes, you’ll starve! You need the energy!”   
“You gotta lead us well, that costs a lot of energy!”  
“You have to take more care of yourself captain! What would we d without you?!”  
“Didn’t you order because you like pineapple on pizza?”   
“IT’S OKAY IF YOU DO, CAPTAIN, WE STILL LOVE YOU!”   
  
He tried his best to now show it, but under his helmet tears welled up in his eyes.   
Slowly he sat up, accepting a slice, while trying to get his voice back after having been overwhelmed like this.  
“No, no… I’m just not hungry.”   
“ONE SLICE WON’T HURT!”   
Everyone agreed and chanted for him to take a bite.   
His face still hidden, he gave a small smile.  
“… one slice. And after that, we get back to work, alright?”   
“YESSIR!”   
As he looked at his slices of molten goodness, he shook his head.  
… yes.   
He was overworked.  
But really…  
  
… he’d do this job for free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, pizza days are absolutely canon for the Singularity 0 and tend to happen on sundays. No tasks on sundays either, just a day to relax and have off work!
> 
> Anyways, hope you guy enjoyed another short prompt!   
> Tomorrow's prompt: Cafeteria


	14. Impostober - Cafeteria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You don’t kill in the cafeteria. It’s sloppy and you’ll get found out soon. 
> 
> Unless you are GOOD at what you do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short, because it’s late and I’m tired!  
> But I wanna keep the trend of every day SOMETHING up!

“It’s Lime. It has to be Lime.”  
Only three of them were left.  
Three humans, that is.  
Lime shook in his seat.  
“N-no! I’m-“  
“YOU’RE NOT NEARLY AS TERRIFIED AS ANY OF US ARE!” Yellow screamed, anger clearly there in her shaking voice.  
“I’m just- I- I don’t know what to do!” Lime sounded like he was about to cry.  
Brown didn’t react either, but everything about him showed off how absolutely broken and terrified he was. He couldn’t even look at the others.  
Green slowly rose a hand. “How can you be so sure?”  
“IT’S- ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”  
“We can’t afford losing more people. If the ship has any less crew on it, we might won’t be able to fix it-“  
“THE IMPOSTOR WON’T DO SHIT TO HELP US.”  
“Yes of course! But if we are wrong, right now… your aggression makes you look pretty weird too. You’re losing your cool, that is the last thing we need.“  
Yellow slowly sunk down, the anger making way for desperation.  
“I… I know. I know. But- it HAS to be Lime. You were with me and Brown was innocent, we’ve proven that-“ Breaking off, she balled her fist. “Okay. We’re not throwing Lime out. But we will keep an eye on him.”  
Quietly Brown’s whisper came through the intercom. “… but what if he attacks you? You shouldn’t be alone.”  
“I- Green will stay with me too. If anything happens, Green can help or stop it. We’ll stay here, right in the cafeteria, with the emergency button.”  
Green nodded, determined and grim. “No matter who of us four is the imposter, the imposter has literally not chance to attack or prevent us from doing out work like this. _Trust us, we know what we’re doing_.”  
Unsure Brown looked between them, but then reluctantly moved away. “ _I’ll… take care of the ship while you guys do that. Does your kid… I mean_ \- hey, little buddy… would you like to come with me?”  
Green’s son looked up, seemingly he hasn’t listened, only paying attention now that he was talked to directly. Most of the time the kid was cut off from the conversations at the table, for his own protection.  
“Yes, Mr. Brown!” He nodded.  
Maybe he knew how important this was. Or maybe he was just bored.  
But Brown just carefully took his hand and lead him away from the group.  
  
Only a few more tasks to go.  
  
Lime was sitting at the table, hiding his visor in his hands, his shakey breath audible through the intercom.  
It was silent. Yellow watched him, a hand hovering over the emergency meeting button.  
If he pulled ANYTHING, he was done.  
They would make it out. She, Green and their son would make it out.  
They’ve gone through worse.  
It was okay.  
And then her boy would be safe forever.  
Green leaned against the wall, clearly uncomfortable, but doing what was necessary.  
Finally, Lime slowly sat up.  
“O-okay. I have an idea. We just- how about we just- take off our helmets? I’m a human. I’m a human under here. I didn’t hurt anyone. I’m willing to prove it.”  
Instantly Green frowned.  
“Taking off the gear is strictly against the rules. We could get infected with who knows what. And it’s unprofessional.”  
“But- it’s the only way I can prove it!” Upset Lime took a sharp breath. “Please- PLEASE. W-why are you against this?! We- we didn’t even end up on a planet, there shouldn’t be anything in the air and-“  
“Okay.” Yellow nodded, reaching up. “Let’s take our helmets off. Even if that doesn’t prove a lot.”  
With a distressed squeak, Lime turned to her. “What- what do you mean that doesn’t prove anything?”  
“We don’t know what the imposter is.”  
“It’s- it’s absolutely an ALIEN! Didn’t you see what it did to the bodies?”  
Slowly she shook her head, but took off the helmet anyways, revealing a normal human face.  
Green and Lime followed swiftly, Lime standing up as well to more easily take his helmet off.  
People.  
Lime looked so pained.  
“I just... I want to go home.”  
Coldly Yellow disregarded these words. “Tough luck.”  
But Green was a bit kinder. “… we all do.”  
Gently Green put his hand on Lime’s shoulder and-  
  
_It was only a second.  
Something latched onto Green, ripping out of Lime, washing over from one suit to another.  
Only a few milliseconds later, Yellow had buried her hidden weapon inside of Lime’s body, a scream of pure agony ripping through the air-  
But to no avail, it was so quick, so SMALL, it was on Green’s face and then it was GONE, only Green’s pupil growing wide and limp, not looking at anything in specific- the same weirdly vacant expression Lime had before, the expression Yellow had thought was simple terror, but no- no-  
There was a second of nothing as Yellow and the Imposter looked at each other.  
Then it raised a megaphone.  
_“ ** _BROWN! BROWN OH GOD- I WAS WRONG BROWN, WE WERE BROWN! YELLOW KILLED LIME- YELLOW KILLED LIME, COME QUICKLY, PLEASE HELP-_** “  
  
And while the Imposter put on the helmet again, running off, Yellow looked to the bloody knife in her hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Different prompt, different universe, new Impostor.  
> I have a lot of fun giving every of my characters a unique Impostor form!  
> Albeit some are less fun to write then others.  
> But hey, at least they make terrifying villains, even if they're not fun to write- less human, less to work with, but more of an unease.  
> Anyways, next prompt will be: Fix Wiring


	15. Impostober - Vent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vents are so, so useful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for nothing yesterday! The tired ™ hit hard yesterday. Even today there will only be a small thing!   
> Again, sorry about it!   
> Hope this one is at least somewhat enjoyable!

The person in the brown astronaut suit slowly looked around.  
Nobody in sight.  
 _Good._  
It was a prime chance and he wouldn’t waste it.  
Pressing against the corner of the room he stayed quiet for another moment, waiting for any noise-  
 _But there was none._  
Alright.  
Quick now.  
Interrupting the signal of the intercom, so nobody would be able to listen in, even if they did happen to pass by, Brown rigged his helmet-  
Then he slowly took of the helmet, putting it down to his side, just kneel next to the ventilation shaft, carefully flipping back the grid.   
_The inside was dark.  
And empty.  
_Even his breath was being echoed back, and he wasn’t even breathing that loudly.  
He got ready-  
  
Then he spoke.  
  
 _“Today was another difficult day.”  
_ The whisper bounced around from metal wall to metal wall, being carried away, turning into a gentle hum almost. A reassuring sound. _  
“Everyone is distrustful of each other.  
I think we should have lived together before the mission, at least for a while. But I don’t know who I could tell that to.   
Not to mention, it’s too late. I don’t want people to feel worse for it.   
It’s just…   
Difficult sometimes.  
Pink ranges from cold to openly hostile. In all ways dismissive.  
Cyan is nice, but can’t seem to comprehend boundaries. It makes me uneasy.  
Purple is work-focused, which is good. But there is little human interaction. I feel like he expects something from all of us and I can’t tell what.  
The Captain is experienced, but he is so very paranoid and I feel like he’s always about to snap at us-“   
_He broke off and just closed his eyes to listen, as his unhappy words turned into more fuzzy humming.  
The only thing that reassured him.  
 _“… I don’t want to talk about them like this. It’s not their fault. I wish I knew what I could do to make all interaction a bit smoother.  
Hell, I can hardly bring myself to talk to them.  
My throat closes up, I suddenly feel so nervous.  
I think they dislike me because of that.  
I’m sorry for it.  
But it also makes things easier.   
Somewhat.  
We talk about what is necessary and then I do my work.  
It actually makes me feel somewhat good to be able to do my tasks so precisely and even helping others, like White, out with finishing up their tasks. I know what I’m doing when I’m faced with wires, with data, with trash or the reactor. Not as good as the people specializing on it, yes, but I- think I am good at my job. I trained hard for this. This is my calling and now… I am beyond the stars. On a way to a new place. A different world. I hope what we find will be nice.”   
_  
For a moment, he could muster a smile, but as he tried to keep it up it slowly started faltering, his whole body shriveling up in a weird type of mental anguish.  
  
 _“… why… why do I feel like something terrible is going to happen?  
Why do I feel like something on here wants to hurt me?  
Everyone?  
Why do I think there is something… hunting…?  
Why do I feel so uncomfortable…  
Why do I hate being close to these others so much?  
Why can I not talk to them?”_  
  
The echo lingered for a few more moments, but way too shortly to reassure him.  
He sighed.  
  
“ _I feel tired.  
But I need to focus.  
Nothing will get better if I let my head get the better of me.  
That’s true.   
As long as I keep focusing and do my work…  
… everything will be fine_.”   
  
One last time he paused to enjoy the moment of the noise disappearing in the distance of the vent.  
The vent was kind.   
It kept secrets, it didn’t judge, it didn’t pressure, it wasn’t burdened.   
It was as though a friend was listening, the little noise being the answer, the little acknowledgement he needed to make everything feel lighter.  
Finally feeling satisfied, he slowly nodded and moved back a little.  
  
  
When the Captain arrived at the location, he hesitated a moment.  
 _Someone on their own?  
That was suspicious.  
_He HAD to check.  
Quickly he opened the doors and-  
“… Brown. What are you doing in here?”   
The tall Crewmate turned to look at him, silent.  
Brown was the only one who could measure up to Blue in terms of size, yet he seemed to be the polar opposite.  
Always keeping his mouth shut, nodding and doing as told. Well- within reason, obviously.  
But still, he seemed untrustworthy.  
 _Like everyone on this ship.  
_ Even now he refused to answer a single question.  
“Crewmate Brown. Are you listening?” He calmly repeated. “What were you doing in here.”   
Finally, the quiet response.  
 _“… maintenance._ ”   
“Walking around on your own is something you should avoid. _I thought we talked about this in the morning_.”   
The other person merely nodded, saying nothing further.  
The Captain relented however.  
“… alright. Continue on then.”  
With that Blue turned around and left.  
  
 _Only a few steps later he realized that Brown had followed him.  
_  
Abruptly he stopped, turning back.  
For a moment, his Crewmate stopped to, looking at him-   
But then he just kept walking, moving past him.  
  
 _… yet another crewmate to keep an eye on.  
 **Like every other.**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow's prompt - Eletrical 
> 
> And I'm looking forward to that one ESPECIALLY ;3  
> Just more fun lore going to happen. I sure do enjoy introducing and showing off some characters! Even if they're usually just minor characters.


	16. Impostober - Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Put them to good use.  
> Grinding, cracking, ripping.  
> And awaken what's within you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't write anything for that particular Impostober, but The Friend did! Surprise!
> 
> Enjoy!

Make it clean.

One, two, three. 

The ivory slowly crushed inbetween thick teeth. Shivering in their hands, rattling almost as they clean them out. 

One by one. 

Work your way through. 

Red knows better than to tear them apart in a flash. It's tempting, very  _ much,  _ but no. They can't just dig their hands in and pull the food out and eat it. People would know. Hear it, smell it, and see it when they're done.   
Red will not make a mess of this. That's how you get  _ caught.  _

Methodically, slowly. There's no need to rush right now, with everyone sleeping. Red doesn't get to take their time very often, and they will take full advantage of it now that it's given to them. 

They want to  _ enjoy  _ this. When was the last time they could  _ really  _ eat something and not feel like they're being watched? That they're on a time limit, or with someone right around the corner?   
Not here. 

It's so nice to treat themselves to this, just a little. Planning ahead pays off for what they've got in their room now. Telling someone to come into their room through the vents before the day is over, now there'll be no traces left of them. No body to be found, no blood spilled anywhere. Just the spacesuit that was neatly taken off before bed, like everyone does every night. 

_ It's like he vanished somewhere. The void must've gotten him, or maybe he's gone rouge and is hiding somewhere. Perhaps his bed has made him fade away in his sleep. _

No signs of struggle. No signs that he left anywhere. No rips or tears in his suit or his bedsheets. Everything is neatly put away, like it always is. 

All Red had to do is say-  _ "Close the vent after yourself when you come down and into my room from yours, I really need you here tonight."  _ Before everyone went downstairs. Both he and Red didn't tell anyone else, knowing that it'll get them into a heap of trouble that they're sneaking around with the air system. 

A few hours later in silence, Red dropped down into the vent, waited, and watched him closed the vent behind them as Red led him to their own room. Sitting down and talking was nice, but getting to bite into his neck was even nicer. Not a sound left him anyways when he died on the spot.

A painless death. Red is willing to do that for him and not make him suffer.

Their large, formless body surrounds their food as they sit on him and keep eating, absorbing whatever spills out into Red instead of going all over on the floor. No bloodstains will be found after this.   
Shame that he died this way though, taken unexpectedly through the false sense of safety as Red held him in their arms, before biting down on the back of his neck.

Red doesn't even really remember who this is. They don't recognize the face, normally used to seeing their Crewmates by their spacesuit's colors instead. Who did they talk to before the night hours to ask and come in here… ? 

Shit, they don't really remember much of that either.   
The taste of his clean blood is more prominent in their thinking right now. 

Oh well.   
It worked, and Red knows that they'll get away with it cleanly. For a moment they felt bad about taking advantage of someone so quiet and sweet, he  _ genuinely _ liked them, he had trust in Red.

But with his reputation of being suspicious for not talking during meetings, nobody would think twice about his overnight disappearance as a  _ murder. _ Red just thought he would be an easier target to go after, everyone  _ else _ never had a good look towards him.  
It makes Red sad really, because he's not a bad person at all. They  _ liked _ talking to him, even if he didn't say much. 

Red shouldn't be thinking about this.

Feeling guilty won't stop them from starving.  _ Eating  _ will make them stop starving. Red's body is already breaking him down where they're not eating directly, the rest of his body slowly dissolving into them as they eat away at another rib. Their thick, long, orange tounge licking away whatever flavor they could get before quietly crunching down on it. 

Again. 

Again, and again. 

They rumble, a low, quiet purr from this. Yes. Enjoyable. How  _ satisfying.  _ Again. Bite down on it slowly, feeling it splinter inbetween their teeth. It tastes  _ good.  _

Red always likes eating  _ real  _ food like this. It makes their body more denser and heavier, and less watery. The consistency of their body more  _ thicker.  _ Sure, they  _ weigh  _ more because of it, but in their opinion, it's better than evaporating through dehydration and getting smaller. 

More is better to them, although to do  _ what  _ with the extra blood inside of them, they'll figure it out later. Right now it's just something to digest until they get hungry again. But even so, they can't help but wonder...  
Normally you make something with leftovers, right? Use the rest of it. Create something  _ new _ , even. Red thought about that for a moment, ingesting the rest of the shards in their mouth. 

Wouldn't Red need to eat  _ more _ people then to make something new? It makes sense to them, like watering a plant. 

Yes. Plants  _ need _ water to grow.   
They like that.   
Red needs more people. 

The gentle rumbling in their throat got a little smoother. 

They too, will think more about this later. This is something that will be on their mind for  _ days _ , and Red is not sure on the reason why.

They'll continue with that train of thought tomorrow, but for now they have to start cleaning things up here.  
Red leaned down a little closer, feeling their body start to liquefy and drip down a little more. Time to get rid of the rest that they don't want to chew on, but also not want to waste. 

Red's body laid down on what was left, and lost their form. Their shape melted down into a single, blobby lump over the body and broke down the rest of it. The other bones Red decided not to mess with, along with the skull and the rest of the body of the person himself. This will not take longer than a few minutes.   
A red, bloody mass in the corner of the bed dissolving up the scraps. 

Eating a person has always made Red feel so  _ tired. _ Drowsy and slow. Like as if they're cuddling with someone, when in reality there's nothing left of their target now.  
Eating someone like  _ this, _ while taking their time, only lasts a simple hour. Which Red  _ loves _ to savor about. 

They personally don't like rushing themselves. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was unnerving.  
> *Thankfully, The Friend doesn't consider it canon, just a little... hypothetical.*  
> Thank good, right-?


	17. Impostober – Electrical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don’t go to electrical.
> 
> Don’t go to electrical alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some more special l o r e that me and The Friend made up!  
> Written by FAILURE!

People didn’t like going to electrical.  
They actually HATED it.  
If they had to go to electrical, they wouldn’t go alone, they would refuse adamantly until someone came by, helping out. Even if the tasks didn’t seem to be so hard on their own, nobody really managed to finish in there.  
Well, nobody aside from the Captain, who seemingly knew no fear, Cyan, who disturbingly enough always seemed utterly excited to go to electrical and-  
Pink.  
Of course.  
He only ever sneered at Green’s stories.  
  
_“Don’t go into electrical alone.  
There is SOMETHING roaming there.  
It’s not human.  
It’s not monster.  
It’s from the beyond.  
It breathes, yet it doesn’t bleed.  
It whispers, yet it knows no words.  
Its steps echo, yet its feet never even seem to touch the ground when it roams.  
And it does roam.  
During the night, the creature leaves the safe darkness of electrical…  
… because the darkness has spread…  
… you can hear its steps…  
… roaming in front of the rooms.  
It is still looking for the one it used to own…  
… before of the terrible fate…  
And if it thinks YOURS is rightfully its…  
… it will-“_  
  
“Oh shut up.” Pink rolled his eyes as he flipped the lights on again in the cafeteria.  
Everyone whined at the sudden bright lights.  
“Piiiiiiink-“ The choir of disappointed crewmates sounded through the room.  
“You guys need to stop being so utterly foolish.” He scoffed. “There are no ghosts on this ship. This is a BRAND new ship. It cannot be haunted.”  
Orange sighed, seemingly relieved. “Oh… yeah right. Urgh, but that was scary. Do you think ships CAN be haunted?”  
“Yes!” Cyan said, enthusiastically.  
“No.” Pink groaned, annoyed.  
Thoughtful, Green put his finger up to his helmet.  
_“… but what if someone brought the ghost with them? What if someone on here did terrible things and now…”  
_Suddenly, before he could finish his sentence, the lights flickered, then went out.  
Instantly everyone huddled closer together, aside from the pink crewmate who looked up to spot the lamps dimming and suddenly flashing brightly before being gone once more.  
“The wiring must have been damaged. Which _… is odd._ Crewmate Green, did you not just this morning done your maintenance task in there?”  
“Yes, but-“  
Orange interrupted. “What if it was- _the- the g-_ “  
“NO.”  
The others were all pressed against each other, looking around in a panic.  
Okay, of course not Cyan.  
“I can go and check on it-“  
But Pink was already halfway out.  
“No, no, forget about it. You will just keep it dark as long as possible. I will go alone.”  
“ _No, you won’t_.” Green had stood up too and jogged after him to catch up. “You seriously shouldn’t go electrical alone! I mean it when I say it’s dangerous!”  
Once more the other one shook his head, but this time he stayed quiet and simply kept walking, Green at his heels.  
Or at least he was until-  
“ _Did you hear that_?”  
Pink ignored him.  
He was sick of cheap attempts to scare him.  
Green insisted though.  
“… I’m serious, there’s- someone near the specimen room. Walking… weirdly. _I’ll check on it_.”  
Steps walked off and with a short glance Pink confirmed he was going away- his body language unusually tense.  
Did he seriously think someone had cut the wires and was sneaking off some of the specimen?  
Nobody was dumb enough to try that.  
Or at least the ones dumb enough to do that were currently huddled together in the cafeteria.  
_… never mind that._  
He kept one hand of the wall, praying nobody dropped a stupid box anywhere, he didn’t want to stumble and fall. These suits made it a bitch to get up again.  
Thankfully though, he made it through fine.  
_The lights were no longer flickering.  
Now it was almost completely black._  
And for some reason-  
_Cold_ …  
For a moment Pink’s mind panicked and wandered to his reactor-  
But it was fine.  
Surely.  
The cold wouldn’t harm his beloved work.  
His baby, that had so much of his blood, sweat and tears inside…  
The outside of his helmet slightly fogged up. Not enough to be a bother, but enough to make it even harder for him to actually understand what was going on around him.  
This lack of vision was terrible-  
_And every hair on his body started standing up.  
_Oh lord.  
Green’s stories weren’t getting to him, were they?  
_This was just the systems failing due to the power loss- it was FINE._  
It was cold, yet he felt sweaty.  
What was going on?  
Quickly he moved inside the electrical room, feeling instantly a little bit better.  
No matter how cold it got, the wires and electrical machinery produced always a little bit of heat, making it more bearable. Even when they TRIED to keep the room colder, it tended to only stay slightly below average.  
That and the familiar hum that reminded him of better times, it worked together to create an environment where he felt more safe than in most places.  
The darkness and fog against his helmet made it hard to spot anything and he blindly stumbled forward into the dark-  
Oh, goddammit. He’d take this stupid helmet off.  
Much better, now- where was-  
_  
Light-  
  
_Green was in the far corner, messing with the cables-  
Wait, no, was it Lime?  
In the dark it was so hard to differentiate the shades…  
“Hey- Green?”  
_He didn’t turn around.  
Or answer.  
_The light reflected in the visor, seemingly fully focused on the work.  
_Something was WRONG here._  
As soon as true fear reached with its thin fingertips for his heart, he locked up and turned to the one defense he knew.  
Getting ANGRY.  
“So you think I will fall for THIS, huh? For you doing the spooky routine of… not talking in the dark. I do not have the time for this.”  
_Nothing._  
Pink confident moved forward, to peek over his shoulder.  
“Are you doing at least the task properly? Because if you have everything under control, I will ju-“  
The words got stuck in his throat as he watched what was playing out in front of his eyes.  
_Green WAS fixing the cables- or at least, was going through the motions.  
The cables on the other hand were- phasing through his hand, back and forth, suddenly clipping into place, just to be out of place the next moment, time itself seemingly being twisted around Green’s very fingertips. Again and again the red cable was set back and forth, then suddenly two more cables were in place with nothing even TOUCHING them-  
_Pink stumbled backwards, falling down in the process raising his hand in a sudden, irrational instinct to protect his face.  
His movement was too rash though and a slightly sharper than usual corner brushed past his cheek, ripping it open the tiniest amount. It felt hot and burned, the uncomfortable stickiness of a wound quickly being noted by his brain-  
_The being in the corner suddenly stopped all movement.  
It stood up.  
Turned-_  
“No- nononono _, STAY AWAY FROM ME-“_ As quickly as he could in his position he moved backwards, harshly hitting the wall behind him, something that knocked the breath out of him-  
_Then it was in front of him, its helmet shining despite there being no light source.  
Were those-  
Stars?!  
It reached out, slowly touching his cheek.  
When it pulled back, its finger was stained red.  
_Slowly it stood up, not flickering in reality for once, and it rose the finger to its helmet.  
  
_‘S o m e c a n t a k e  
A n d n e v e r g i v e  
A s o r e m i s t a k e  
Y o u s h o u l d f o r g i v e’  
  
_At this point Pink struggled to breath, every part of him terribly dizzy.  
_Oh god he would pass out.  
He would never leave this place.  
He would never leave.  
Please no-  
_The figure slowly dragged the finger over its helmet, creating a wide, red smile.  
Then it abruptly broke open, revealing a _giant maw-_  
Something- _SOMETHING WAS CRAWLING INSIDE OF THERE-  
Dropping out, countless of little creatures, meat that grew legs as the teeth grew longer and longer, turning into meaty tentacles- decorated by teeth-like outgrows, the whole crewmate body CONVULSING, OPENING UP, OPENING UP, THERE WAS JUST A MAW, A MAW AND FLESH, AND COUNTLESS LITTLE VINES, TWITCHING, DIGGING IN-  
_How Pink didn’t lose his mind right then and there was a question he himself couldn’t answer.  
How he managed to get up, draw his taser and move back towards the door was another one of these questions.  
Panicked he got ready to slam down-  
**_The GRIN, it was INSIDE his head, it was IN him, he didn’t SEE it, he FELT it-  
_**The door behind him was locked shut, he couldn’t leave.  
How- how could it have gotten locked?!  
_Sabotage-  
This thing-_  
In a flash of insanity, Pink raised his weapon.  
“WHAT ARE YOU!?”  
It actually stopped to look at him, almost seeming confused.  
Then the SMILE-  
  
_‘I a m n o t h u m a n  
I a m n o t k i n d  
I a m t h e o t h e r c o l o r s c o m b i n e d .’  
_  
Out of nowhere, it twitched and everything retracted again, it looked just like Green again.  
_Just like… any other crewmate…_  
For a moment they stood across from each other.  
It felt like the crewmate’s arm was frozen in place- it hurt, but he couldn’t put it down.  
The being on the other side though simply swayed on the spot and very slowly tilted his head.  
Then it looked from the left to the right, as though to reassure itself no one else was here-  
Bit by bit it moved, leaning forward.  
It rose its finger to its visor-  
  
_REDBLUEREDBLUEREDBLUEREDBLUEREDBLUEREDBLUEREDBLUE  
REDREDREDREDREDRED  
  
‘S h h h h h h h h h ‘  
_  
With that it disappeared, the doors sprung open.  
Pink’s hand were hanging down uselessly, he still couldn’t comprehend what he just saw-  
He had half the mind to put away his taser, _as it wasn’t an authorized weapon_ , then people entered. Turning in great pain, Pink saw that it was Green, White and Blue.  
Green moved forward quickly, his little son following suit-  
_Oh it felt so crowded, he wanted out, he wanted out, he wanted out-_  
“I-is everything okay? Did something happen?! You were locked inside for at least ten minutes!”  
“Ten… ten m-minutes… that… that is not possible…” Purple managed to spit out. “I just- I-“  
Three invisible faces were looking, but he could FEEL the six eyes staring.  
White and the Captain especially.  
It hurt.  
Blue finally reached out to touch his shoulder. “… what happened?”  
Distracted, seemingly not listening at all and out of it, Pink turned to Green.  
“Did you _\- did you find out who made the noise…?”_  
Green frowned, it was obvious in his voice. “Yes, it was White. Turns out he had heard the Captain and wanted to check on him, luckily though he came just through the door when I arrived.”  
“ _What were you doing there?_ ”  
It was quiet for a moment as everyone exchanged a look, surprised by Pink’s aggression.  
_“… like Green JUST said, I was there when the light turned out and heard someone in the distance, so I decided to look if I could spot who it was.”_  
“Is everything okay, Crewmate Pink?” The Captain asked firmly. “If you need to take a break, I can-“  
“ ** _NO_** _! No._ I will- go back to the reactor. _I have work to do_.”  
Abruptly he turned and fled to his safe haven, leaving three very confused astronauts behind.  
  
  
It was deep in the night when Pink heard the steps outside.  
_They echoed.  
They echoed in an unnatural way.  
_Slowly the crewmate stood up from his bed and looked around- his eyes sticking to the vent on the floor.  
_He moved towards it, like in a dream-_  
After five minutes, the thing was covered by his heavy closet.  
  
_Finally, he could lay down again.  
He had been so wrong.  
So wrong.  
It wasn’t Green.  
It was Fortegreen.  
Fortegreen  
Fortegreen  
With a pained groan he pressed his pillows onto his own face.  
He made a mistake.  
But he prayed it would finally allow him to forget it for even a second.  
… after all…  
**… what even was Fortegreen supposed to be?**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Fortegreen is a bit of a work in progress, we might change aspects of him. Just know that I'm very happy about having been able to add the supernatural elements to the story, without filling it up with different ghosts as they die off.
> 
> One ghosts for all.  
> A husk that is fed.  
> So many souls, stuck together to one form...


	18. Impostober - kinda sus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobody really does themselves any favors on this ship, when it comes to being normal and trustworthy.  
> But most of the time Pink takes the cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Friend reminded me that accessories existed and pets.   
> I joked that the only kind of accessory would be a robotic pet-  
> Then I was yeeted onto the seventh level of CREATION.  
> Also a good reason to show off how terribly annoying Orange is.   
> Sorry I’m late, I meant to skip a day, but not today, but the day after- now it’s late.  
> Written by FAILURE!
> 
> Enjoy!

It was a rather ordinary day for now.   
As soon as everything had settled in, the crewmates quickly learned that being in space was… actually not that insane. Sure, it was tense and paranoia-inducing, but not a constant vortex of new things and stimuli.   
A routine settled in, people found their favorite corners, distant friendships started developing, but also rumors and superstitions. Theories about a deathcult targeting ships for some ancient god, people talking about prophetic dreams they had last night in which the ship exploded, or just plain and simple others playing pranks on each other to scare the shit out of one another.  
Fear was a currency, excitement was surprisingly hard to come by- so everyone let their imagination run wild.  
There was hardly anyone who could resist the draw of it, especially during the pizza sunday, where even the Captain started telling stories, about creatures so horrible that everyone’s hair stood up.   
Yes, people wanted new things and were willing to make a bit of a fool of themselves for it.   
After a few short days, some even revealed they had brought cute and funny hats along for the ride!  
The more started wearing them, the more joined in.  
It was great!  
Well- more was never all though.  
Only one person stubbornly refused to adjust their suit.   
Pink never bothered.  
“ _It will merely get dirty. A waste of time_.” He commented to everyone’s attempts of catching him off-guard with a new little cosmetic.  
It was kinda… pitiful.   
Orange didn’t particularly care for him one way or another, but he deemed him pretty weird.  
Guarding the reactor like it was a living infant, constantly hanging around either there or in electrical, by far the worst places on the entire ship.   
But well- at least that weirdness was entertaining in its own way!  
Adjusting his backwards cap, Orange nodded to himself, making a decision.  
Yeah, he’d look what he was up for!   
The way to the reactor was bearable, five minutes maybe and he was there.  
Even before he arrived, he already could hear some odd… noises.  
 _Sounded like something splattering.  
Then a quiet whirring-   
_“ _Good job! One more time_.”   
When Orange peeked his head around the corner, he saw Pink standing over a small, round, flat machine, holding a ketchup packet from which he squished the vicious… liquid(?) onto the ground, just for the machine to move over it and cleaning it up again.  
Huh.   
“What’cha doing?” Orange asked.  
Pink WINCED and slowly turned around.  
Once he said that Orange voice caused him mental damage every time he had to listen to it, but the other one didn’t really believe it.  
Both of them stared at each other for a moment, before Pink sighed.  
“Well… if you NEED to know _… I am working on a new machine_.”   
“Oh? What is it?” Curious he stared at the machine on the ground again. Flat like a bug!  
It seemed to be looking back up to him.   
Maybe it were those little lights on its front…  
“It is… a specialized maintenance machine, specifically calibrated and equipped to deal with workplace pollution. It is capable of returning the professional environment back into a sanitized state and-“   
“So it’s a Roomba?”   
There was a VERY displeased pause.  
“… _I_ **_guess_** _. If you wanted to throw out all the nuance like the way this machine is programmed and has been built_.”  
“A SUPER Roomba!” Orange snapped his fingers. “No wait. Ultra-Roomba! ULTROOMBA!”   
“ _No_.”   
“Okay, so why did you build the Ultroomba?”   
“ _Do not CALL it that_ -“ Giving up again, Pink rubbed his visor. “… to keep my workplace clean? Not only that, it will keep everywhere I go free from any dirt I could drag there. Occasionally I drag oil around, from me suit to every other place… it will not happen like that!”   
There was a moment of thoughtful silence from Orange, before he carefully gave his answer.   
“ _Oil_ , huh…?”   
“Yes! Also, it gathers scrap metal for me. Someone keeps trying to throw it out- _if I get my hands on them, I will-“  
_ For a moment Orange waited, but nothing further came. “… you will what, exactly?”   
“ _Hm_? What? I will be pissed and tell them to knock it off I suppose.” Confused Pink glanced at him.  
“ _Pissed off_ , aha. So, what kind of stains can that thing get out?”   
“Everything.”   
“ _Everything_?”   
Proudly Pink nodded, finally some enthusiasm in his voice. “ _Everything_.”   
“And it carries around scrap metal… how exactly? It looks so flat.”   
As if it was listening the Roomba transformed, becoming bigger and more spacious, seemingly able to carry around something unexpectedly big. Excited it… _chirped_ … at Orange.  
Pink was completely endeared. “Good job Roo _! You are so clever_!”   
More pleasant chirping.  
Orange kept staring. “ _Aaaaaaand_ … what do you do with the trash? If it picks some up?”   
“Oh, easy. It can create an acidic solution inside that will break down anything that is not in the same league as metal. So mostly organic tissue and thin material like wrapping. If anything else gets inside, I tend to check every other evening to ensure it is nice and empty.”   
“Organic tissue. So technically you could like… _get rid of a body with it_?”   
Fully irritated Pink tilted his head. “… how the hell would I know? I think? _Yes_? But I obviously had no way to test THAT.”   
Slowly the younger of the two reached out and put his hand on his companion’s shoulder.  
“Bro. Bro, you straight up build a body-disposal machine. _That’s kinda sus_.”   
“Kind- kind of _what_?” Pink shook his head. “Excuse me? That is ridiculous. ANYTHING could be a body disposal tool! Including the vents. Also, if I actually wanted to _create_ and consequently _get rid of_ bodies, why would I not yet have stabbed you? _I clearly have no ill intentions_.”   
“Buddy, pal, home slice, bread slice- lemme tell you, dawg- _you’re making it WORSE_.”   
“What?! _How_?!” Annoyed he groaned. “You know what? I actually do not care. Believe what you want about me and stay as far apart from me as you need to in order to feel safe.”   
Enthusiastically Orange nodded in full agreement.   
“You BET I will!”   
“… _then maybe stop touching me and actually do that…?_ ”   
“Oh. Yeah.”   
Letting go of him, Orange walked backwards under the unamused glare of Pink.  
Finally he was so far back that the doors swished shut.  
Pink stared for another while at the grey of the doors in front of him, then slowly raised his hands, balling them into fists, before lowering them again, his throat growing sore due to a scream that would never make it out.  
Three low, slow beeps came from the (now flat again) Roomba, catching Pink’s attention.  
Carefully he kneeled down and petted it.  
“No, no, Roo… you did great today. I am not disappointed in you. I am just a little… tired. But you did excellent! Reacted very well! I think you are as good as you can be already…”   
The little machine nudged against his hand for a few more moments, before moving on and driving around the area, keeping it as clean as it could be.  
Lost in gloomy thoughts, Pink watched it, before shaking his head, trying to snap out of it.   
Maybe he should take a break.  
Eat lunch.  
… but of course not with others in the cafeteria.  
No, he had taken everything he needed after breakfast out of the snack machine and carefully stored it for this very moment.  
So instead of leaving, he climbed on top of the reactor.  
Something nobody aside from him knew was that there was a small empty space right behind it.   
It was almost invisible looking from the outside and even if you could spot the little dark opening, it seemed far too small for a person to get inside.  
 _That’s where everyone was wrong.  
_ Slipping inside with familiar ease, Pink let himself fall down onto a few pillows and blankets he had been storing here and got out his sandwich.  
Settling in, for a moment he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting all his thoughts leaves his mind, fully taking in his surroundings. The silence, the lack of nervous movement, the predictable nature or every little thing with him for this moment…   
His only companions were the humming of the reactor and the little lively noise from his Roomba.  
 _He wouldn’t have it any other way.  
_ And if the price for this was being suspicious, then… he would take it.  
  
After all, being suspicious wasn’t really such a big deal.  
Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt I might skip!  
> So it will be either "Babey" or "Friend/s", depending on if I get inspiration or not!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed, thank you for reading!


	19. Impostober – Friend/s

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends are easy to make on the Singularity 0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Local tired Failure here!  
> H e l p  
> Anyways, hope you’ll enjoy!  
> Super short, no warnings as always!
> 
> Very boring chapter though, just me trying around a bit more with Cyan. Feel free to skip this one, I just don’t wanna miss out on writing ANOTHER prompt.

It was a quiet inside of the room.  
Two people we busy with different tasks, standing on the other side of the same room, not even looking at each other.   
But their tasks were rather similar.  
Cyan always liked these keypad noises.  
They were such fun!   
_Beep beep boop!  
_ The task always took a little bit longer than it should with him, because he wanted to make noises, he wanted to make tunes!  
 _Be-eep beep! Be-eep boop!_  
Numbers turning into melodies!   
Sadly most of the crewmates gave him a bit of a hard time for wasting time like this. Understandable if you wanted to get everything done as fast as possible, but then again… tomorrow there would be the exact the same task! Over and over! Simple, repetative maintenance. It wasn’t that important, and the ship wouldn’t crash just because it wasn’t done as fast as possible.  
 _Bip beep bip bip beep!  
_ Behind him, Cyan heard movement and instantly sighed.  
There it was, he would be told to stop it. He should just put in-  
 _Boop beep! Boop bee boop bip bip!  
_ Turning, surprised, Cyan looked back where Orange stood in front of his own keypad, putting in melodies of his own.  
Shortly the other crewmate turned too, seeing that he was being looked at, just to give a thumbs-up and punch it another code.  
 _Beep beep be-ee-eep beep bop!  
_ Cyan smiled, excited, turning back to his keyboard.  
 _Beep boop beep boop bip bip bip!  
Boop bip bip boop beep beep beep!  
Babeep babeep ba beep beep beep!  
_Happily Cyan laughed and quickly Orange joined in.  
After putting in the proper code, the neon colored crewmate fully turned around and his attention to his co-worker. “I thought I was the only one doing this!”   
“Yeah, right!? Everyone else is SUCH a buzzkill!” Orange nodded, also putting the right numbers, before turning around to him, happily, holding out his hand. “The name is Wayne!”   
“Oh! Hello!” Cyan took it, smiling. “Just call me Cyan. Nice to meet you, Wayne!”   
“Oh _. You’re ALSO one of those_.” Suddenly and VERY obviously displeased, Orange pulled back his hand. “Yeah, cool, _then I’m Orange_.”   
Tilting his head a little Cyan nodded. “Sure, Orange! It’s still great to finally talk with you! Let’s make music sometimes again!”   
But the other one didn’t seem too excited over the prospect anymore.   
“Eh. Dunno. _Maybe sometimes_.”   
With that he turned and walked away.  
  
Recently, Orange felt like he was being followed.   
It was an uncomfortable feeling.  
He hated it.  
There was a pair of footsteps after him, one that always stopped when his stopped. It seemed to try and FOLLOW his pattern, his exact walking rhythm and it was TERRIFYING.  
No, he couldn’t bear it.  
This was _horrid_.  
Eventually, he completely lost his mind and stopped right after taking a corner. He needed to face whoever or whatever it was or he would go insane.   
He continued to walk on the spot to keep the noises up- then rushing into the other direction, running right into-  
 _Cyan_.  
The crewmate seemed startled, rubbing his visor to check it for scratches.  
“What the HELL man?!” Orange stared down at him. “ _Are you stalking me or something?!_ ”   
“Huh?!” Confused Cyan looked up. “No? I think? I’m just doing tasks with you.”   
“No you’re not?!” Irritated the other stepped back to allow him to stand up. “Y’know I would like- _need to KNOW you’re there for us to do tasks together_? Also, you should ASK me? Why do you think this is okay?!”   
“B-because we’re friends, right?”   
“NO! Why would WE be friends?! How come you think that?!” Orange was FLABBERGHASTED. “We literally NEVER talked!”   
“B-but- that one time- at the keypad-“   
It took a moment for the Orange one to process that and even REMEMBER what he was talking about.   
When he did, he was THIS close to grabbing the smaller one and shaking some sense into him.  
“ONE time! We NEVER talked again! _Why do you think that makes me your friend_?!”   
“Then- I- what WOULD make me your friend?!”   
He was standing by now and Orange had to pause at the question.  
“… do you seriously not-“   
“No. No I _don’t_ know. _What did I do wrong_? If I wanted to be your friend, what would I need to do?”   
It was quiet.  
This… was actually a good question.   
What… made a friend?  
“I guess you gotta…” He shook his head. “… you just KNOW when you can get along with a person!”   
“ _I don’t_.” Calmly Cyan pointed out.  
“Yeah, okay, you’re a REAL weirdo. But- you gotta spend some TIME with the person first.”  
“I did!” Cheerfully Cyan said.  
“WITH THEM KNOWING. Speaking of, don’t do stuff behind their back. It’s gonna freak people out. They won’t want to be your friend anymore. Talk to them! In general. I’m serious. Don’t just- assume someone is your friend. But also don’t be weird about asking it.”   
_“… I’m even more confused than I was before.”_  
“ _Sounds like a you problem_.” Orange grumbled, but then sighed. “Friends are… friends take time. You have to be able to trust them. You have to… you have to be happy around them and they should be happy around you. It’s a give AND take, but the POINT of the friendship isn’t that give-take, instead it’s the fact that you’re BETTER together than apart! Friendship is about… sense of humor and the ability to accept the other one for being different. It’s about…”   
Cyan simply looked at him as he stumbled more and more over his words.  
“About- these _things_! That’s what friendship is about!”   
“… you actually have no idea what friendship is about, do you?”   
_“… I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to make friends during life_.”   
“So, then we should be friends!”   
Again, there was a pause.  
Then Orange shook his head.  
“Okay, let me be honest with you. What you did kinda freaked me out. I’d rather have distance from you for a while.”   
“For a while is not forever! So we can be friends some day?”   
There was a quiet groan. “Yeah. Sure. Whatever. But for now I want some space, ‘kay?”   
“… but what if we have tasks together?”   
“Then we can do them together, I guess.”   
“Yay!”   
“But that DOESN’T make us friends!”   
“I have all the time in the world to get there though!”   
“ _You’re a REALLY freaky guy… you know that, right?”_   
“Is that bad?”   
Orange gave him a long look, before turning away.  
“Don’t follow me.”   
  
All in all, Cyan was really happy that life on the ship was so easy and everyone got along.   
People hadn’t been this nice to him back on earth! He had some quality crewmates indeed.  
And while it could become boring to STILL sit at his lonesome at a table every day in the cafeteria to eat…  
 _… it was nice to have friends.  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Despite Orange being a fucking weirdo himself, he still can’t handle Cyan.  
> But to cut him some slack, Cyan’s brain literally doesn’t work like a human’s anymore.  
> Oh well, it’s not like Cyan COULD be sad about having no friends. He just keeps doing, one day he’ll get there!
> 
> Next prompt:  
> Enemy


	20. Impostober - Enemy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enemies are easy to make on the Singularity 0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late Impostober, but hey, this one is a real treat in my opinion!  
> Mixed work by me and The Friend, who wrote the middle part! Pretty easy to spot because of their rad way of spacing things.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

The days working on the spaceship were draining in their own, very special way. No amount of training could really prepare you for it. Oddly enough, you would be best prepared for it if you worked with large quantities of computers.   
It was the buzzing.   
The buzzing and humming that never truly stopped.   
The human body KNEW its surroundings weren’t natural and it reacted over a prolonged period of time to it with discomfort.    
Electricity was the lifeblood of the ship.   
It wasn’t a comfortable sensation to be inside the belly of a beast.   
At least Pink handled it better than most people, despite having never deliberately prepared for it. Electricity had been his lullabye as long as he could remember and he trusted any machine more than a person.    
Machines were easy.   
Action? Reaction. Action? Reaction.   
Trustworthy and easy.   
The little space Roomba he had built was whirring at his feet, the place around them both was spotless.    
In his opinion, this machine had been a full success!    
It even-   
“Pink?”    
The doors swisched open as a rather emotionless voice called out for him.   
“I have checked back with your blood test and-”    
As fast as its little wheels would take it, Roo moved up to the newcomer, chirping at them and interrupting their words like that. When Pink turned around, he saw Purple crouched down, petting the machine as though his life depended on it, while the robot made small happy noises in response.   
“Oh dear heaven, he is adorable!”    
Pleased Pink smiled under his helmet, relaxing a bit and joining them.   
“Thanks. His name is Roo.”    
“I love him, oh god.”    
“I put a lot of work into him!” The technician admitted. “I am… glad you like him. I tried to give him all the features he could need, while also giving him a personality to match. The internal core is not only visually activated, but can also react to nearby noises and even register vibration! Occasionally. That… is a bit unfinished. But that is acceptable, because you must consider how much time I used to improve and work out an AI from scratch, that would-”    
For a while Pink rambled on, pointing out these and those mechanical details that he seemed proud of, feeling actually listened to by Purple.   
Yet he sounded skeptical when he finally got a word in.   
“... you build him?”    
“Yes.”    
“... do you have a way to prove it?”    
There was betrayal in the blank mirror that was Pink’s “face”.    
“Like what? I already showed you I know literally everything about him!”    
“Blueprints?”    
“I made him as a spare-time project. I do not like blueprints too much.”    
“Hm.”    
He clearly wasn’t convinced.    
Frustrated Pink sighed.    
“Okay, listen.” He started, raising a finger. “I will make you one too. From scratch. How does that sound?”    
At that point, it didn’t matter if Pink actually came up with these or not…    
… THIS was an offer Purple couldn’t refuse!   
“Alright. I’m down. These are pretty cute and useful I suppose…”    
Pink nodded, stood up and turned, walking off to abruptly stop and slowly turn back.   
Confused Purple stood up too, waiting for Pink to say something.   
“... so- if you would like to… I will go and see what parts I can get- and when I have them-  _ would you like to watch me build? You could even help a little. _ ”    
There was something weirdly anxious about his words, he was almost stumbling over his own words. As though he was asking for something unreasonable.   
If Purple didn’t knew any better, he would almost call it flustered. 

"Of course, I'll wait right here." Purple smiles under his helmet at Pink’s nervous tone, politely standing to the side as he waits. 

He doesn't really know why Pink should be so flustered with Purple around, it's not like he's  _ embarrassed  _ by this is he? He should be proud of the tiny things he makes. Purple would be if he was him.    
  
...   
  


Speaking of such-

His attention is once again taken to the little floor vacuum drone, his own system quickly looking over it in excitement. Tiny thing!! How wonderful, tiny friend. If this is really something Pink made, then it's quite impressive to him in making a pet out of trash. Sure, he didn't really believe it at  _ first,  _ but now he's going to get to see him make another one in action.  _ That  _ is very interesting, and Purple would like to see it when he comes back. 

As a robot himself, it's honestly surprising that Pink can make something like this from his bare hands just for fun. Nobody really  _ knows  _ that he's a robot, yeah, but still. If Pink is really willing to show him something like this, then maybe he'll help him with some of the more  _ intricate  _ problems in his system.

Purple can't really  _ see  _ what he's doing when he's fixing his inner workings past his chestplate, but maybe Pink can help with that.    
It would be worth it, even if he would have to explain a lot to Pink- first and foremost how he got here and how his free will worked. But that was possible, if this crewmate was as passionate about machines as he seemed to be.

Purple kneels down and taps the fingers on the floor to make the roomba come closer, like attracting a cat to it's food bowl. 

"Come on." He says softly. "Come here big boy."

The little flat machine whirrps and scoots closer, obviously happy at the positive attention it's getting from the bigger A.I.

"Ooooh, tiny!! Tiny roomba! You're a good boy!" He baby-talked it, like any catowner would. He pats it's flat top, looking at the little blinking lights on Roo's "head." 

Two red and green lights in a line, they're nice. Purple goes ahead and picks the roomba up like a flat dinner plate, taking a more meticulous eye to Pink’s little project. 

The top panel looks to be held shut on it's own. 

Probably something Pink would explain once he comes back, Purple knows it's rude to start poking around with the thing otherwise, as he places it back down on the ground. It automatically gets back into gear as it steadily does a quick circle around Purple's spot on the floor, before parking itself next to his feet and chirping. 

"Yes, good boy!" He tells it. "Good job, you cleaned!" Roo spun in it's place at being told that, beeping more. The lights on it's flat top blip happily, but Purple can see that one of them isn't being used.

_ Oh no.  _ He thought. Is that part not working? Is the lightbulb burnt out? Purple taps on the glass bit, and sees the lens blink back at being technically poked in the eye.

Immediately he sits up.

That  _ thing.  _

Why does it have a camera lens. Purple doesn't like that very much.

_ Wait.  _ He thought. 

If a roomba has a  _ camera lens,  _ that means it has a  _ camera. _ Like, as the ones used in the halls, and those are installed and used to  _ record.  _ They all connect to The Security Room and the computer in there, which everyone can look over.

You know, except for _this_ _one._

Purple's eye looks down a little more as he continues to gently pet the roomba.

If  _ this _ isn't connected to Security, then it's probably likely that nobody else knows of this thing too. 

Was Pink  _ really _ trying to keep this a secret? It doesn't feel like it, seeing how open he was to show how it works. But why have something like  _ this  _ built into a machine that does a job so simple like  _ cleaning?  _

It just… doesn't feel  _ good to him.  _

Purple doesn't  _ want  _ to doubt Pink, but… shouldn't everyone know about this? 

… this doesn't feel fun anymore. What things have this machine recorded and kept away? Does anyone  _ know  _ that they're being recorded by this thing? 

_ Of course not.  _ Purple's mind immediately corrects itself.  _ Nobody else really knows about this thing in the first place, of course they wouldn't know about being seen and filmed by this thing.  _

Isn't that breaking the rules?

Purple gets onto his feet, the roomba having fallen into sleepmode next to him. He has too many questions, too many open ends that he knows will be just deflected defensively instead of being answered honestly. If Purple ever asks Pink  _ any _ of these things, he'll catch onto his suspicion and get upset, and that's  _ not  _ what he wants. 

… right? 

He's not exactly sure on how Pink behaves a hundred percent, but from what he knows of him so far, he doesn't want to risk any of it. Purple doesn't  _ want  _ to cause problems, but it just… doesn't feel  _ good  _ to be around him and his creations anymore until he gets to the bottom of this. 

_ He doesn't feel safe.  _

Immediately something clicks into his head without his volition, like a rule. 

_ Whatever danger or any potential harm to me, or the people around me must be reported to the authority at once.  _

Purple had this almost  _ alarm _ of a thought go off in his head when he had Red cornered in his own workroom, too. He thought that taking care of it  _ himself _ would work, before finding out that Red was compliant on their own when he first tried to kill them in The Medbay. 

Red agreeing to not do anything that night made them no longer a major worry to Purple, but the possibility that they could still  _ do _ something to someone else makes him stand on edge whenever he thinks of it, and makes that loud thought come back to him from the back of his head. So far he's trying to  _ not  _ care about that and it worked for the most part, but Purple doesn't think he can stand it with having the same alarm go off in his head with another person. 

Whatever else he was thinking of was solidly shut down by the thought as it rang in his head again, becoming his top priority as he stood ramrod straight.

_ Whatever danger or any potential harm to me, or the people around me must be reported to the authority at once.  _

_ - _

  
Slowly the Captain turned from Pink to Purple.    
“... alright crewmate Purple, please repeat the accusations that brought us three here.”    
“Yes, sir. Crewmate Pink has created this Roomba machine, under the guise of it being helpful in keeping the ship clean and functional. Then I found out that these have cameras installed and Pink is saving the footage to a private device for reasons unknown. These things are basically spyware-”    
Seething Pink interrupted Purple. “Of COURSE they have CAMERAS IN THEM. ARE YOU STUPID?! THEY NEED TO HAVE VISUAL RECEPTORS TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE FUCKING DIRT! DID YOU THINK THEY MAGICALLY COULD  _ FEEL  _ WHERE THE DIRT IS!?”    
The Captain raised a hand. “Calm down, Pink.”    
“That DOESN’T justify why you KEEP THE RECORDINGS. Or why there even ARE recordings in the first place! Not to mention for what kind of things these machines can be used for! Being able to perfectly absorb blood stains and all that- these machines are terribly suspicious!”    
“THEY ARE CLEANING BOTS. THEY CLEAN. EVER CONSIDERED THAT BEING THE REASON FOR THE CAMERAS?! SO YOU CANNOT SIMPLY GET RID OF A BODY?  _ Also, these Roombas are BOTH mine _ .” The last part was a spiteful hiss. “ _ Maybe you shouldn’t take other people’s property, Purple. I have a right to be recorded if I want to _ . It also helps to prevent CERTAIN PEOPLE to just TAKE THEM. Right, PURPLE? People who would TAKE them to stirr up DRAMA.”    
“I’m not-”    
Not letting him have a word, Pink kept tearing into him. “ _ Maybe you shouldn’t come anywhere near me and MY roombas if you’re SO uncomfortable with being seen! Or do you want me to suffer amnesia after every time we meet in the hall? _ !”    
Purple frowned, this was a full 180 in terms of behavior from Pink. Seemingly he went fully on the offense now, which was understandable, but this dirty lying was appalling.    
“That is RIDICULOUS! I have a right to not be recorded and if I HAVE to be, I at least should KNOW about it! There’s a camera in the corridors, I’m fine with THAT, but I’d rather KNOW! You can’t secretly capture images of anyone. If you want to see me, you can just come over!”    
“YES! Thank you I WILL. Now maybe STOP touching MY machines without my consent! Then NOTHING here would have happened! You are WASTING the Captain’s time!”    
“Maybe YOU should have VERIFIED your robots instead of making them in secret?! THEY ARE DANGEROUS AND COULD BE USED FOR WHO KNOWS WHAT! MAYBE YOU EVEN MADE IT CAPABLE OF SABOTAGE!”    
Insulted Pink stepped back.    
“Are you SERIOUS right now?! Are you accusing me of wanting to sabotage this ship?! _ Say it, crewmate Purple. Say it to my FACE. Do you think I want to harm the people on this ship? _ !”    
“No- well- it ISN’T acceptable that you build machines behind the captain’s back without anyone knowing! You just recycling scraps for whatever plans you have- that is WORRYING!”    
“Everyone here has a hobby! What?! You want me to seriously do nothing all day but sit next to the reactor?! Oh, SPEAKING OF-  _ it is OKAY for me to do my SUSPICIOUS BUILDING when it comes to improving the energy system and the cooling of the reactor, BUT AS SOON AS I DO SOMETHING FOR MYSELF YOU GET YOUR PANTIES INTO A BUNCH!? _ ”    
“THERE IS A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT! This is not another HOBBY, you can’t WEAPONIZE A DAMN PICTURE! You make AIs out of SCRAP, what ELSE are you capable of?! What if you decide you feel like a challenge and make an actual WEAPON!?”    
Pink completely snapped, leaning forward.   
“ _ If I wanted to hurt you IDIOTS I would simply rig the damn reactor and leave with an escape pod _ .” The rage was dripping from every word he said. Rage and the affront- how dare you think like this of him and his machines.  _ Why would I bother building something dangerous, if I could kill everyone on the ship with roughly as much effort as picking my nose? _ Building robots is an art!  _ You create machines out of the joy of creation itself! _ "    
Before Purple could retort, Blue stepped forward, making both of them jump.   
God, they forgot he was there.   
This was shameful, he shouldn’t have seen them scream at each other like children.   
“ _ Enough _ .”    
All discussion was done.   
Slowly he looked between the two.    
“Crewmate Purple? I advise you to actually do stay away from Pink. You’re right, you have a right to not be recorded without consent or even being made aware of it.”    
Purple nodded and looked away, silent.   
“Crewmate Pink? Keep your machines close to you. They aren’t allowed to roam the place on their own. Keep them in the same room as you. You’re not even allowed to make them wait somewhere on their own, no matter how short you mean to leave. Understood?”    
“ _ Yes sir _ .” Pink had calmed down completely, sounding only cold again.   
“You are both dismissed. I don’t want to catch either of you ignoring my orders.”    
Both of them left.   
  
As soon as the door swished together behind them, the Captain stepped to the side, looking outside of the giant windows that decorated the main control room.   
What Pink said was a threat.   
A clear one at that.   
There were a few rules that Blue had, a few rules that helped him weeding out potential impostors.   
Of course…   
… threatening his crew stood on the top of that list.   
Without hurrying, the man pulled a short, small metal rod from the side of his costume, its silver blending in with his other tools.   
He pressed it, its size increasing quite a bit, until it snapped out a long blde to the side.    
Another twist of the thumb and the blade started burning up, glowing anywhere between orange and pure white.   
  
Yes.   
  
Threats to his crew were a clear sign that you were an impostor.   
  
_ And he knew how to deal with you.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am debating with myself if Pink's story will become a miniseries too on here, because I think Pink will have a very interesting story to tell.  
> ... he isn't one to just let himself be thrown out...
> 
> But that's currently just a thought!   
> Hope you guys enjoyed!


	21. Impostober - Hat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hats are very important.   
> They show a lot about you and how you want to be perceived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a very quick one, since the last one took multiple days. Kinda need to catch up I suppose!

“You gotta wear a hat!” Cyan said, enthusiastically.   
“Yeah! Hats are THE big thing!” Orange joined in, pointing at his own cap. “Shows who you really are! And how you feel! I have a TONS of hat for every occasion! You gotta have at least ONE.”   
A bit taken aback Brown looked around, trying to get some help from someone else, some hat-less solidarity- but the only one still around was Lime, who was lost in some papers, wearing a bird’s nest on top of his head.  
Still.   
Brown shook his head.  
Not that this would stop Orange and Cyan.   
Orange smiled widely. “C’mon buddy! You can pick one of my collection! You gotta join the fun!”   
"Everyone wears a hat!" Cyan nodded, looking oddly seriously.   
"Even killjoy Purple wears his crown. I mean, it's kinda telling about his ego, but..."   
"And Red wears their cute little halo! Showing off how they have the best intentions, even if they're new!"   
"Eh, I always thought people who pick the halo are pretentious..."   
Worried Brown shook his head even faster now.   
Instantly Orange realized he might said the wrong thing.  
"Hey, no, buddy- it's just an impression! On the ship we all know how the other one is like, a hat won't actually change what kind of person you are."   
“Don't worry about coming off the wrong way- we’ll help you pick! The Captain said it’s okay! I bet you’d look adorable with a good hat!”  
“But also, a fun hat would make you less scary. People are kinda spooked by you, sooooooo…”  
“At least TRY some on! If you don’t like it, you can take it off again.”  
“There are also some _useful_ hats in my collection! Like a hard hat that can protect you from things hitting your head. Or safety googles. A lot of things!”   
Finally Cyan just started pushing into Brown. It hardly made a difference, seeing how big the guy was and how small Cyan was in comparison, but he still stumbled forwards, trying to avoid the physical touch.   
“Go on you big doof! We want to see you happy!”   
“Promise, it won’t hurt!” Orange assured.  
At last, Brown just let his head hang and moved along, to the cheers of his crewmates.   
  
When they arrived at Orange’s room, Brown got to see that he hadn’t promised too much.   
There were at least three more closets here than at the usual crewmate quarter. And they were WELL organized.  
Proudly Orange stepped back and opened his arms.  
“Pick whatever you like! It’s yours. See it as a welcome gift for finally joining the hat-squad!”   
“ _Hat-Squad! Hat-Squad! Hat-Squad_!” Cyan chanted excitedly.   
That… WAS quite generous, considering what was inside.  
Very carefully Brown sorted through the collection, noting that everything Orange had claimed to be there was there. Googles, a hard hat- and much more!  
A party hat, a stethoscope, an old-fashioned astronaut helmet, there was an authentic looking Viking hat, a snowman that seemed to be able to be attached by the bottom- _Brown wondered what it was made out of, seeing as it didn’t melt-_ a guard hat, a literal plunger, snorkel- an eyeball that was capable to double as a lamp and-  
“And? Do you like anything you see?” Impatient Orange leaned over his shoulder, causing Brown to wince. “Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you! But seriously, don’t you want to try a few out? You don’t have to decide right away!”   
Brown sighed slightly relieved while the other one backed off again.   
Without reacting otherwise, he kept digging, until-  
 _Oh_.  
Slowly he reached out, into the mess of brightly colored items and knick-knack, firmly grasping the _right hat_.  
“You found something!” Cyan exclaimed ecstatic. “ _Put it on, put it on_!”   
“Yeah, put it on, what is it?!”   
Brown was almost entirely inside of the closet, Orange couldn’t even guess what forgotten item he found there.   
Maybe the paperboat he made when he was bored?  
It would be nice to give it a new purpose.  
Or maybe-  
Orange thoughts instantly shut up when his crewmate moved out, a pair of ram horns on his head.  
“Yo, not gonna lie to you buddy, but… _that kinda makes you a bit scarier_ -”   
“ _ **It looks GREAT** **!**_ ”   
“ _I mean, it looks… good… but_ -“   
“ ** _I would love to pet you now!_** ”   
“ _Uh_ -“   
“ _Orange, you know how hats are. You CONNECT to a hat! Don’t be a debby downer about this._ ” Somewhat quietly Cyan chastised him, suffocating his protests in the dust.   
Defeated Orange sat back, crossing his arms as he looked at Brown.   
“… okay fine. You’re right.” He sighed. “Keep ‘em, Brown. But- I’d like you to answer me one thing… _why **THIS**?_”   
_It was meant to be halloween decoration, he didn't even know how it could have slipped in with the normal stuff..._  
It took a moment, as Brown looked from one crewmate to the other.   
For a few seconds Orange was convinced he wouldn’t respond to this either, as he always did, but then-  
Between the crackles of the intercom-  
  
“ _… it reminds me of home_.”   
  
Something about the way he said it made the air heavier and a bit… harder to breathe.  
At least for Orange, Cyan seemed fully immune.  
“Oh, how nice! Are your parents shepherds?! That is incredible! I’m glad you found this hat!”   
  
_There was no reaction to this question._  
 _Brown just kept gently petting over his newfound favorite accessory._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me at the beginning of writing this: Hehe, funny, Brown gets hat that makes him look SPOOKIER despite being supposed to look NICER!!!  
> Me at the end of writing this: *Oh god, Brown may or may not be related to demons now, when will the government stop my foolish hands.*
> 
> I promise he isn't a demon. Probably. Just a bit weird. Yeah.  
> But everyone on here is, right?


	22. Impostober – Bring your kid to work day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why would you allow CHILDREN on board of your ship?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point I’ve given up trying to keep up with these darn prompts, but I do feel bad for it.  
> Once more a skippable chapter, just going a bit into Orange's backstory and why he even put money into the mission.  
> Anyways, hope you enjoy it!  
> Written by Failure!

Have you ever asked a question that you knew the answer to, yet the answer still hurt?  
What a stupid habit.  
“ _Dad, can I come to work with you_?”   
How naïve.  
“ _No_.”   
It’s terrible, how the brain never seizes to keep itching the same and scratching the same spot, over and over again, knowing that it burned, knowing that it hurt-  
“ _Dad, can I come to work with you_?”   
But it was almost impossible to stop.  
“ _No_.”   
It was humiliating in some way.   
Even if he could have everything else in the world that he wanted- it couldn’t replace this.  
 _“Dad, can I come to work with you?”  
_ Maybe he WAS spoiled. But could you really blame a kid for wanting to spend time with his family? _  
“No.”  
_ No, he had no idea what it would be like to come along.   
Maybe he’d hate it.   
There was literally nothing he could do and his temper wasn’t the best.  
But he couldn’t help but to crave it.  
“ _Dad, can I come to work with you?_ ”   
Why did he hate himself so much that he’d repeat this over and over again?  
“ _No_.”   
Every day, every week, every month.  
It was always the same.   
Yet, the smallest of small chances that kept him going.  
That he could finally be seen as old enough, adult enough, competent enough-  
  
“ _Dad, can I come to work with you?”_   
  
“… _alright_.”   
  
It went better than expected, honestly.   
At least for the first few hours.   
Men and women in suits everywhere.   
_Important people, knowledgeable people, people with networks.  
_ It was slightly intimidating.   
He could live with being intimidated though!  
What was worse was the way they looked at him.  
 _They looked at him like a burden.  
_ Like an obstacle, like an infection on clear skin, like a damn disgusting boil on his father’s reputation.  
His dad didn’t seem to acknowledge it, he didn’t seem ashamed of having him around- but then again, he never showed many emotions anyhow.  
If people ever directed a word at him, it was the same one word over and over.  
“ _Achievements?_ ”   
And his father’s response was always the same.   
“ _None so far_.”   
It was met with a sneer.  
 _“… future plans?”_   
The way they stared at him was so cold.  
His dad tended to be silent after that, as though he expected him to say something too.  
The RIGHT thing.   
Something that would fit a reputation like his father’s.   
… _but there was nothing he could say.  
_ “… n-none so far.”   
“ _He is still young_.”   
It sounded like an excuse for something shameful-  
“ _Not THAT young_.”   
Quietly the boy looked at his dad.   
Was it true? Was he a disappointment?   
Should he have put in some more work into his life?  
He wasn’t that old, that was true, but-   
There were people his age that had been given the highest degrees, that have created art, that were touring the universe-  
Should he have been doing… all these great things?  
Was his life a pathetic waste?  
What even was there left to do?  
People here had created profitable businesses from scratch, had made scientific achievements that catapulted humanity into a future that could have never been dreamed about, they had discovered species and planets-   
_  
Planets_.  
  
The last sitting was the worst for sure.  
But this time he was ready, he knew what he would say.   
At first the conversation kept centered around the older ones that were in attendance, something about achievements, about the benefits of different strategies and the approach to-  
 _Didn’t matter._  
He wasn’t even listening anymore.  
All he was trying to focus on what he was about to say.  
 _What he was about to DO._  
A festering idea, escalating from moment to moment-  
Then suddenly-  
It happened.  
A pair of eyes lingered on him.  
 _“Achievements?”  
“None so far.”   
_They all sounded like robots. But maybe that was what it took to be part of high society.   
“… future plans?”   
His chance.  
“I will take on the new planet. _The one they call the H-47748_.”  
Instantly it went quiet, everyone turned.  
“That planet is barely more than a RUMOR!”   
“Nobody KNOWS if it even EXISTS!”   
“A travel there would take incredibly long, even with the technological advancements- nobody has ever made it there!“   
He smiled, confidently. “I know, but I think I can do it.”   
“ _What crew would be even willing to go on such a suicide trip_!?”  
“I-“ Trying to play it cool, he shrugged. “- doesn’t even matter! Our ship will be the newest of the new, a singularity among the ships, a never seen before creation! _Anyone_ would be able to keep the ship running! The ship could be manned by only two people if it had to be! It will be the thing that brings us to the planet- e-even if I WILL handpick the crew and find the best of the best!”   
There was murmur around them and finally the people present at the meeting looked at him with some sort of… interest.  
 _It felt good._  
He looked up at his dad, but he wasn’t even sparing a glance.  
Before he could even wonder why this made him feel so uncomfortable, the others spoke up again.  
“… then I might be able to interest you in a prototype we are developing… it needs testing, but it might just be what you are looking for.”   
“Th-that sounds great! I sure would love to help out and testing stuff while traveling the stars. Might as well, right?”   
Smiles were directed at the youngest member.  
“You’ve raised a brave son. Good work. We will watch his career with… interest.”   
His dad was quiet.  
“… _brave is one way to put it_.”  
  
  
  
It was three days before take-off.   
Orange looked over the preparations, watching the workers bringing any resources they could need until the next station on their journey. The ship could carry a ton of things- but they wouldn’t need so much for the first stretch.   
Of course, the natural thing was to board plenty anyways, but not as much as the ship COULD hold.  
Nervously he shifted around inside of his space suit, it was heavy and felt too warm.  
He hoped he would get used to it soon.   
His dad had given him a few warnings- rules that the Captain he had managed to track down and convince to join them approved off.  
 _Never take off your spacesuit unless absolutely necessary. You don’t know what could be in the air that you need to filter out. You don’t know what could happen to you or someone else if you take it off and leave yourself vulnerable… or them open for a convenient attack.  
_ Oh, his dad told him about another thing.  
 _Them.  
The Impostors._  
A rumor? A fact?   
What WAS a fact was that there were ghost ships flying through space, completely empty, still waiting to be found…  
But he knew he was ready for it. There was no way an Impostor made a way on his ship- he talked to the crew personally! They were all decent people.   
Surely.  
 _This talk had been the longest one between him and his father that he could remember- he would rather die than disappoint him. He would do this mission and make himself a name.  
_ In the distance, he saw crewmate Green, wearing his suit, crouching down-  
… putting a smaller version of a space suit on a kid.  
Abruptly Orange made his way over, trying to catch their conversation.  
“… and you’d have to wear it aaaaaaaaaall day.”   
“But- dad, that’s cool!”   
Gently the man chuckled. “Believe me, it maybe looks cool, but it can get a bit annoying. Especially when you have an itch!”   
He poked the kid into the stomach, causing him to squeal and laugh.  
Then he realized his employer was behind him.  
Frantic he stood up straight, stepping a bit more between his child and the orange astronaut. Trying to protect him from… something. Who knew what.   
“Sir- I- this is my son- I just- he wanted to see where I would be going for the next while…”   
“Your son?” A bit dazed he looked at the tiny spaceman. “But- doesn’t your wife come along on the trip too?”   
There was a moment of hesitation.  
 _Of pain._   
“… it is lucrative. With this money we could ensure him the best life there is. Maybe even more.”   
“But- but you won’t see him for potentially YEARS!”   
“… _or maybe never again.”_ Green quietly pointed out. The dangers of the mission were hanging over everyone’s head. “… but… what would be the alternative? It’s fine. He understands. Right champ?”   
The kid nodded, staring at Orange.   
For a moment Orange frowned.   
“And- where is he going to stay?!”   
“We… are figuring that out right now.”   
“Right NOW!?”   
This was the last string that had been holding him back. He took a deep breath.   
“ _Take him along_.”   
“What?”   
“You heard me! Take him along. You won’t find a good place to stay at so easily. We all know that places where kids, whose parents are on a mission, stay can be- not great. And he would probably be sad, being separated from his mom and dad for so long. _That… hurts a kid a lot_. So- he’s welcome! A… take your kid to work project.”   
Slowly he crouched down in front of the kid, who despite being silent, seemed to be vibrating with the excitement of potentially being invited onto the ship.   
“A mini-crewmate, helping us out… a little hero! Keeping the crew together.”   
The kid suddenly jumped and hugged him. “I CAN REALLY COME ALONG?! I CAN COME ALONG, I CAN COME ALONG!”   
“Heyo, kiddo, not so fast! Your dad as to approve too! It will be a LONG journey after all…”   
Instantly Mini-Green let go of him to tug on his father’s leg.  
“Dad, dad, please, can I? I wanna come along, please, dad-“   
Affectionately Green petted him over his head, looking at Orange slightly hesitant.  
“… let’s talk with your mom first about that, alright?”   
“YAAAAAAAAY-“   
“That was NOT a yes!”   
“Okaaaaaay-“   
With that the kid rushed off, dancing around.   
Green looked after him, before glancing at Orange.  
“… thank you. That is a very generous offer.”   
  
Then he left as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next prompt:  
> Not human
> 
> I will TRY to make something for it, albeit it might take longer >:v  
> School started up again, but the prompt is calling my name-
> 
> Until then!


	23. Impostober – Not human (+ helmet) (Bleeding Gears 3.5)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The way you act…
> 
> The way you feel…
> 
> … it’s not human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written by Failure!  
> Don’t try to fit this one into a timeline bois, there are so many different what-ifs-  
> Still, it was fun.  
> Also, two prompts in one, because why not!

It had been a good first few weeks on the Singularity 0. Almost too good to be true.  
Purple didn’t trust the peace.  
It was almost like there was a thing just waiting to go wro-  
Loud footsteps caused the AI to snap up and watch the door, which promptly swished open to reveal Red and Cyan. Both seemingly in severe distress.  
“PURPLE, PURPLE, WE-“  
“WE NEED YOUR HELP-“  
“WE KINA MESSED UP-“  
“IT WAS NOT PLANNED-“  
“BUT NOW-“  
“Both of you calm down!” Irritated Purple looked outside of the door to see if someone followed them. Thankfully that didn’t seem to be the case. “… what happened?”  
“So-“ Red started, but then Cyan interrupted him.  
“THE CAPTAIN CAUGHT US BONKING!”  
Purple froze for a moment, unsure if he heard right.  
“… _bonking_ …?”  
Seriously Red nodded. “Yes, bonking. You know…”  
Gently he pulled Cyan closer to him and clicked their helmets against each other, Cyan rubbing his own against the motion.  
“The act of clicking helmets together.” Purple concluded.  
Cyan piped up. “The AFFECTIONATE act of clicking helmet together! It really sucks that our helmets hide our faces, it can make you feel really lonely… so we bonk! Because they’re people under here who want to be close to each other, even if we can’t be.”  
“It sometimes feel like we are all the same, but when me and Cyan bonk… it feels unique and-“ A tad flustered Red tried to elaborate, but he was stopped by Purple who seemed only MILDLY appalled.  
“Okay, okay, I got it. And why is the Captain upset about this? Seems harmless enough.”  
The blue-ish boy crossed his arms. “… he says it’s too distracting…”  
“… that it keeps us from work…”  
“… and that it might be a ‘slippery slope’ for other things. Whatever that is supposed to mean.”  
“So he banned it.”  
“Yup, he banned it publicly.”  
“At the meeting.” Red sighed. “So when he caught us…”  
“… we said that we had to bonk for medical reasons!”  
“ _Please Purple, cover Cyan here, I had no choice but to back him up-“_  
“It IS healthy though!”  
Purple looked from one to the other.  
Then he groaned.  
“You two make me simulate aging… okay, I will see what I can do-“  
Another pair of heavier footsteps approached and Red quickly grabbed Cyan, gave Purple a thumbs up and then disappeared through the vents, far away so nobody would ever assume they were conspiring against the Captain’s rule.  
Purple turned away from the door, pretending to be busy with work as the door hastily opened to avoid being broken through by force.  
“Crewmate Purple!”  
The Captain BARKED these words, entering the room and not wasting a SECOND before starting to pace around.  
“Cyan and Red told me you subverted MY rule?!”  
“… yes sir.” Calmly he turned around. “A rule I didn’t even know about.”  
“… right, right, you weren’t at the meeting.” Slightly relaxing, Blue shook his head, but continuing his pacing afterwards. “Still. What is this nonsense about health benefits?!”  
“Well, sir, bonking is a physical affectionate gesture.” Carefully he started, thinking fast, talking slow. “… every human needs affection. May I ask first, why did you even ban bonking?”  
“Why?! Because of Cyan and Red! Whenever I see these two together, they are bonking! It is appalling! They have TASKS to do. They will get us all killed if they refuse to focus on their tasks and rather go off doing… THAT.” Not noticing the absolute FLOORED way Purple stared him down, he continued. “Even more so, MORE people started bonking! Yellow and Green started bonking! Orange bonks people as a surprise! It is SPREADING, like a DISEASE!”  
“… _sir, did someone ever bonk you?_ ”  
“Of course not, I would never let that happen to me.”  
… aha.  
That might be it.  
A little bit of snark slipped out of Purple.  
“… sounds like you just have nobody to bonk, sir.” Swiftly moving past that, before the Captain could say anything about that. “As a medical professional, I can attest and say that it helps people calm down better in stressful environments.”  
_"You may be the doctor and have all my respect, but I am the captain here and you should improve your diplomatic skills."_  
The fancy way to say ‘screw you, Purple, you’re a dick’.  
He continued on. “… I don’t see it. I myself would never feel relaxed with such an activity. Considering that the head is the place that most creatures have their maws, I see to reason why you would want to bring yourself into a position, where you would be so easily attacked!”  
“… did you never want to… touch someone? Hug someone?” Doubtful Purple asked.  
“No. No, I see people grabbing me as disrespect at best and a potential threat at worst.”  
“Sir, I regret to inform you, but that’s not normal.”  
“Not normal, what is that supposed to mean?!”  
“You see, humans need both positive psychological and physical interaction. Lack of one or the other leads to severe mental health issues, up to anxiety, depression and the longer it goes as far as to interfere with decision-making and memory storage. That is not even to mention that it can lead to physical things like an increased blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.”  
“That is UTTERLY ridiculous. I don’t care what your studies have shown you, in my lived reality, it is fine.”  
“… _when was the last time since you have gotten positive physical interaction_ -“  
“Irrelevant! I’m FINE. I don’t NEED touch. I don’t WANT touch. It doesn’t MATTER.”  
“Are you- scared?”  
“What?! Nonsense. _Just because I can see there’s only risk and NO reward and don’t do it for that reason- that doesn’t mean there is something wrong with me. Stop equating humanity to weakness. I’ve grown above that._ ”  
Purple remained silence, letting these words and their concerning implications sink in.  
But finally the Captain relented.  
“… _alright_. From the activity logs and the camera in the hallway, I think it is safe to say that you’re free from the bonk, thus your medical opinion might stay trustworthy. Still, there HAVE to be limitations. Only during stressful situation, bonking is allowed, outside of that, at most all two hours. People need to WORK.”  
“Yes sir.”  
At that he turned away, assuming the conversation to be over, he quietly and hysterically snickered to himself, trying to grasp the entire INSANITY of their conversation.  
THIS.  
All THIS DRAMA.  
Over people bonking their HELMETS?  
That was- _actually fucking hilarious._  
Too bad for him, the Captain had excellent ears.  
“ _What are you laughing about, Crewmate Purple_?”  
For a moment the doctor hesitated, then he simply shook his head. “… listen, sir, if you want my honest opinion, then let me say the following: You are by FAR the most stressed person on the ship and the person who could benefit from a good bonk the most.”  
Insulted the Captain stared at him, before shaking his head.  
“I am the CAPTAIN. I am MADE to deal with stress! People’s LIVES depend on me being alert! YOU could benefit from a better attitude, but I suppose we ALL aren’t quite perfect!”  
“You think I have a bad attitude?! ARE YOU NOT LISTENING TO YOURSELF-“ Between insulted and laughing, Purple was standing there, fully flabberghasted.  
“You are NOT a team player! This is a CREW Purple, yet you CONSTANTLY lock yourself away, you are RUDE and UNCOOPERATIVE! _GET A GRIP AND LEARN SOME MANNERS AND SOCIAL CONVENTIONS. IT COSTS YOU NOTHING_.”  
“SO YOUR CONSTANT FIGHT OR DIE MINDSET IS BETTER!?” He rubbed his visor. “I am TIRED, sir! Tired ALL THE TIME! I can’t help that!”  
“YES. IT KEEPS PEOPLE SAFE. THANK YOU FOR BEING APPRECIATIVE!” Throwing his arms in the air, the Captain came closer. “And if you’re TIRED, you should SLEEP _. LET ME TAKE OVER FOR A WHILE! Are you aware of how incredibly IMPORTANT you are?! Your job is amongst the most valuable on the ship, we need you in top form!_ You DESERVE twice as much break if that’s what it takes to keep you t your maximum capacity. If ANYTHING goes wrong we’ll need you more than ever, at the top of your ability.”  
“Half the time YOU’RE the one who MAKES me worry, by constantly being- like you ARE. YOU’RE THE CAPTAIN. YOU ARE EVEN MORE VALUABLE. So for the love of all that is precious in this universe, why don’t you just-“  
Breaking off, he suddenly bridged the small gap that was still between them and gently grasped his face, bonking their helmet against each other.  
Red and Cyan had been right.  
It did- feel different.  
He could feel the Captains tension, his swift movement, he could feel how alert he was- how close he was-  
Blue was frozen on the spot, seemingly close to a breakdown.  
“ _Th-that- that is NOT acceptable- I’m- you’re distracting me from MUCH more important things and I-“  
_“More important things like WHAT. Being upset over people being happy? Over people relaxing in ways you don’t approve for seriously no reason?” Snarky Purple called him out. “… anyways, I need to go back to work now.”  
Seemingly frustrated, despite his blank visor, the Captain stared at him-  
Then grabbed him and pulled him close, gently returning a bonk.  
While it now was Purple’s turn to freeze up, Blue just stared at him, before shaking his head.  
“No. No I still not get it. If this is a people thing, then I don’t feel like I’m missing out.”  
The doctor looked for the right words to say, but before he could he was suddenly grabbed and picked up, resulting in him trashing a little. “Wh- what the-“  
“Regardless! You said you were tired. This is an order from your captain… you have to take a day off. I will keep an eye on medbay and assist the other crewmates.”  
At first he struggled hard, but slowly the grip became- tighter.  
Going limp, Purple realized he had no choice but to accept his fate.  
  
They walked through the ship, gaining confused side-glances from the other crewmates, while Blue remained quiet, ignoring them all.  
Purple’s senses were telling him that something was wrong, that there was a tension that was growing as he was being carried away, but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was about, all he knew was that there was a potential danger that he couldn’t escape-  
Even if he would try to fight himself free for REAL, there were witnesses everywhere, he would get dismantled in a heartbeat.  
They arrived at the quarters and his room, where Purple weakly handed over his card, as he wasn’t been put down.  
As soon as he they entered, the android tried to start fighting-  
But the Captain had been quicker, suddenly throwing him down, the impact shortly dazing him, sending a shock through his circuits, preventing him from doing anything-  
And as soon as he was able to move-  
A long, burning hot blade was aimed right at his chest.  
It was rather ranged, a staff that ended up in a blade, a short one at the back, a long one at the front, curved in a way that allowed it as much blade area as possible- an area that, from Purple’s short glance seemed to get- charged in some way, charged to a point that it almost melted.  
If that thing TOUCHED anything, it would be separated.  
Not even… cut.  
Just EVAPORATED.  
But there wasn’t any difference, really, only that no matter what- there would be no blood.  
All these different realization broke into his mind at the same time, causing his main processor to grow hot.  
Or maybe it was the burning heat of the air that the weapon caused to grow hotter and hotter by the second…  
Blue had stared him down and for a second Purple feared he would just- push it down and cause him to break-  
But he stood still, then finally his voiced crackled through the intercom.  
“ _You have a minute to explain to me why you are so heavy. No human is so heavy. **You are NOT human**_.”  
There was panic, cold dead panic, as he tried to mobilize all of his resources to come up with an explanation, anything-  
It was-  
Beyond his stance, the BITTERNESS of his words were telling him exactly how serious this damn confrontation was.  
“I’m-“ What could you even SAY? “I’m… an android. Sir.”  
“ _Off with the helmet_.”  
Slowly Purple raised his arms, grabbing his helmet, pulling it off.  
Smaller, but much like his helmet, there was another piece of metal and plastic below it, a single eye lighting up, as a heartrate monitor quickly moved behind it, flashing up before fading away, once, twice, at a rapid pace.  
For a few seconds it was quiet.  
“ _… you’re not a crewmate. **You’re an IMPOSTOR.** Why are you here?_”  
“I’ve- it’s a difficult story, but I mean no harm!”  
The only choice he had was to desperately try and appeal to Blue’s faith in him.  
To Blue’s weak, weak faith.  
And the pathetically fragile connection that he had made with Purple for these few weeks.  
But-  
Nothing had gone wrong.  
Not so far.  
Yet-  
Somehow-  
For a second Purple looked up, seeing his own mirror image inside of that dark visor, inside of that one-sided mirror, seeing his own face flashing over and over again-  
_And for that second he knew he was going to die like this, that the Captain would not tolerate any oddities, not anything that was different from what he expected-  
_… then the moment passed and the blade cooled down.  
It retracted as quickly as it had extended, leaving on a short grey tube that seemed so very mundane and uninteresting that he hadn’t even registered it beforehand.  
_Now it stood out like a sore thumb._  
“Stand up, Crewmate Purple.” His voice was icy, but at least he called him still a crewmate… for now.  
Hastily the android followed his commands.  
The Captain wasn’t done yet with his commands.  
“I don’t care how long of an explanation it will be, I want a detailed explanation. I want someone to look you over under MY supervision. I need to know what you are potentially capable of. Also, you will be telling the crewmates about your identity. _They have a right to vote if they are willing to trust you or not.”_  
For a moment he looked him over.  
“… if you do these following things and do them exactly, if the crewmates agree and you stay transparent and upfront at all times… then I will personally deem you part of my crew and ensure your safety and equal treatment to all the others.”  
There was a pause.  
_“… however… should any of these things not happen… we will deal with you accordingly, like an Impostor should be._ ”  
The warning sirens inside of Purple’s head were so loud, he couldn’t even register them anymore.  
Slowly he nodded, trying to keep his arms down, trying to stop any… reactions.  
Even if he was quick enough, it would end badly.  
And the Captain was the authority.  
Stepping backwards, the Captain refused to let his sight off him, until the doors opened.  
_“Now, I want you to right away start recording yourself, create a log in which you explain your story.”  
“Yes sir.”  
_One last time Blue stopped.  
“Oh, and Purple…?”  
Finally he started turning around, only a single side of him still visible to the machine.  
“… yes… sir?”  
“ _Never, ever try to lecture ME on what is human and what is not._ ”  
  
The doors closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I knew what The Friend's plan is with Purple, but there ARE plans and I tried my best to capture what I do know. Purple just... has no luck with friends, huh?
> 
> I'll try to get a short chapter up later for the prompt "teeth".  
> Tomorrow, if everything goes well is the prompt "Ghost"


	24. Impostober – Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They are so pretty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to catch up still! Probably never will! But it was fun!  
> Written by Failure!  
> Mild warning because of some minor self-harm glorification due to getting the mind twisted. Just in case any of you want to avoid that stuff (don't risk a downwards spiral of thoughts)!

_Teeth.  
They shine brighter than any star.   
People just don’t appreciate teeth enough.  
They go on and on about the beauty of lips, of the expressiveness of the mouth-  
And always ignore the teeth.  
But they were the ones who gave the mouth its meaning!  
A kiss would mean nothing without the teeth remaining close, yet unused.  
A smile would mean nothing, if you wouldn’t lay your teeth bare, willingly presenting your weapons, giving a potential foe a giant benefit.  
  
Teeth were beautiful.  
_  
Cyan was tired, sitting slumped over in his chair, staring into the mirror.  
There was nothing else to look at in this white room after all.  
The mirror was behind a protective shield of plastic, it wouldn’t shatter if it was punched.  
Not necessary for Cyan.   
But it was the standard for these rooms.  
Breathing felt like a chore and he had a bit of a headache.   
He felt angry with the doctors, angry that they decided to treat him instead of just deeming him a lost cause and finishing him off.  
Then again, he felt horrid and disgusted at the concept of being put down with anesthesia. It felt wrong and like a waste and unfair. Like he was trash.  
It was also the reason why he would never attempt to do the deed himself-  
 _He wasn’t something to be thrown away, he wasn’t to be wasted._  
There was nothing in the room right now and he felt beyond tormented with the intense boredom and lack of stimulation.  
Nothing but his thoughts.  
Nobody should blame him for trying to entertain himself.   
  
_Even his own teeth were still of worth.  
They weren’t as pretty as most.  
They weren’t all too sharp, all too big, all too shiny, but they… did have their appeal.  
Funny.  
Now that he thought back, he never thought about teeth that much.  
Despite the fact that it was now so- blatantly obvious how much teeth MADE creatures into what they were.  
Teeth made to do so many different things.  
Crushing.  
Tearing.  
Cutting.  
Holding…  
It was wonderful.  
All these shapes.  
All these functions.  
It fascinated Cyan how the teeth didn’t even need cleaning, if you used them right.  
Animals had no special way to clean them off.  
Only use.  
Do you ever wonder if your body knows you hate it?  
Do you ever wonder if you’re withering away because you don’t care for it?  
Don’t care to use it?  
Push it to its limits, again and again?  
They desire too.  
Look at them, in the mirror.  
Shining white.   
Despite being dull from lack of use._   
  
Slowly Cyan stood up, moving towards the mirror.  
With his hands he reached towards them, pressing his fingers against the edges.  
Hard.  
Wet.   
Too thick at the edges to hurt.  
At least not without pressure.  
But humans could apply quite a lot of pressure with their jaw.  
It was impressive, for such a tiny maw.  
 _Weirdly endearing._  
He wondered if humans could have more potential… if they just tried.  
Allowing the nail of his thumb to rub over the edge, he lost his train of thought, too focused on the row of white reflecting in front of him.  
If he remembered some vague rumors right, then there was a time people tried- and somewhat managed without bigger consequences- to sharpen their teeth.  
Skeptical he inspected the pointy ones at the side.  
 _Canines.  
_ They were wonderful animals.  
Still humanity’s best friend.   
With incredible maws, powerful sharp teeth.  
So many sharp teeth.   
_Group hunters, out to tear apart the animal from many sides.  
Cyan felt his breath go quicker. _  
Humans had their sharpest teeth named after them.  
They deserved it.   
  
_There was nothing more natural than teeth.  
Teeth sinking into flesh.  
Your own teeth ripping and crushing things too.   
People were meant to have their skin pierced by something sharp.  
It’s their natural instinct.  
Their long lost purpose.  
Maybe that why some people took knives to their own skin.  
It was an ancient instinct maybe.  
A desperate call of the skin, of the brain, agonizing over the inability to nourish something else, something more than themselves.   
All worries melt away once you’re caught in a maw.  
Nothing would ever have to concern you again.  
Shining white flashing, opening invitingly-   
That was what heaven looked like.  
They call those gates alabaster, but that was a lie.  
Calcium?   
Bone?  
He couldn’t remember, but he desired to so desperately.  
There was nothing more honorable than-  
Perishing.  
Nourishing.  
What was it like to be loved down to the skin and bones?  
To have every piece of you be wanted so badly?  
To be needed for survival?  
Aren’t you curious what it feels like?  
Being released from everything and becoming something so utterly wanted?  
  
 **Cyan  
Bite  
Down**_  
  
 _Dribbles of oddly colored blood began to move down his hands, as he watched his feverish mirror image in front of him, that bit down again and again, pain turning into ecstasy and-_  
  
He stopped.  
Utterly disgusted at the animal he saw in the mirror.  
Slowly he let his bloody hand wander upwards, towards the flower growing out of his head.  
The roots, the stem, it was all so painfully sensitive.   
Just brushing against it led to a feeling of panic, a panic that quickly turned into mind-breaking brain, there was no way he could rip it out.   
There was no way he could escape it.  
The doctors did their best, but something of him had already been consumed, turned, reused.  
It was best to come to terms with it early.  
Hell, it was nothing but a minor inconvenience to Cyan.  
Even if he missed being able to remember his own name.  
Well-  
  
Might as well try to sharpen his own teeth now.  
  
He pushed the door open and left his room, catching a conversation going on in the other hallway.  
 _“This is not a precedented event! This plant is SUPPOSED to grow on PREY.”  
“… well, firstly, we nipped the parasite in the bud. It won’t grow as overpowering and not take over our patient’s full system. Also, humans as omnivores could be counted as either-“  
“Why are you so sure!? We never were THIS LATE to a patient’s process! And- are you KIDDING?! Humans are APEX PREDATORS!”   
“Not quite. Especially seeing as human eat everything, it has to do with their trophic level-“  
“So what you’re saying is that if we feed this guy nothing but meat-“   
“Well, the plant has deemed him prey, otherwise it wouldn’t even have infected his system-“  
“The predators of that world are different! It has no way to properly categorize him. Humans are capable of ANYTHING. The question is, will the parasite adapt?”   
_Suddenly there were footsteps, and there was no way Cyan could hide-  
Not that he wanted to.  
“We can talk about that late-“   
As the doctor came around the corner he abruptly froze, looking at his shyly smiling patient.  
“Oh… you’re… _wandering_.”  
“Yes sir! I got a little bit bored. I thought I’d get myself something to draw! Or- whatever I find that could be fun.”   
“Yes… that… that could be good for you.” Nervously the guy in the labcoat laughed.  
 _Reeking of fear._  
It made Cyan feel weird.  
Once more his mind wandered to the teeth.  
 _His own set of tragically dull canines._  
He sighed and shook his head.   
“Have a good day, sir.”   
  
Both of the staff allowed him to pass to get to the main area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Edit: Okay I totally forgot that The Friend already wrote one and put this into a new chapter, sorry about that!)
> 
> I do enjoy writing Cyan a lot! Even pre-mission...  
> Tomorrow will hopefully be "Ghost"! Maybe combined with the prompt "Anger", so yeah, good times!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	25. Impostober – Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue investigates Pink's outrageous claims.  
> He gets more than he bargains for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter written by Failure- just managed to get it done! 
> 
> Hope it's enjoyable!

A good captain looks after their crew.  
They know their crew in and out _, their insecurities, their weaknesses, those little lies that they make themselves believe to makes them feel better-  
_ It was crucial to keep them safe.  
From _ANYTHING_.  
Recently, Pink had been acting more off than usual. It took a little while to figure out why, but he finally relented and told the Captain about something that he saw inside of electrical.  
  
 _“I don’t believe in ghosts,” he had said, looking away. “… but what I saw down there is hard to describe otherwise. Maybe there is a gas leak? Though I couldn’t imagine which of the chemicals would create such a reaction in the human brain- and even if the filters in the suits should-“  
“Don’t worry.” Blue put a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll take care of it.”  
_  
That was then.  
Now it was night.   
The Captain didn’t have the time before, the day had passed fast… but now he wanted to see what- if anything- was going on.   
_He had his hand on his weapon.  
_ While he agreed with Pink that ghosts didn’t exist, he COULD believe that there were beings that were capable of twisting and tricking the mind, using things that it knew were effective.  
Ghosts were certainly such a thing.  
Especially after Lime had been…   
… missing.  
Blood had been found, blood that Purple had confirmed belonging to Lime, but nothing else.  
The rumors as to what happened were everywhere.  
 _Burned?  
Thrown out of the trash chute?  
… eaten…?  
_It didn’t help anyone, so the Captain told them off for making baseless theories. Instead they should stay alert and remain in groups.   
Some even still believed in an accident, which was _stupid_ \- but at least it kept them working smoothly.  
Walking down the hallways, along the metal walls, his footsteps being oddly loud, yet not out of place against the rhythmical stomping of the machines everywhere.   
You didn’t need to be quiet to not be heard.   
You just needed to move along with the machine.   
_An easy trick._  
One that wouldn’t work on the Captain himself.  
Making it doubly as useful.  
Finally he arrived at electrical, the place that always seemed unnaturally dark. Even at night the shadows seemed to be more… _dense_ in there.  
Quietly he slipped inside, carefully opening the panels to check if everything was in order.   
Good.  
That was at least some good news.  
So… he should try and find any evidence of unnatural events.  
Maybe he should first try to inspect the pipes, there could be something wrong. It was unlikely, but a good first guess. Might as well eliminate all the potential in order…  
As he adjusted a little ladder, to get higher up, someone called out from behind him.  
Weakly.  
“… _captain_ …”   
Instantly Blue snapped around, jumping down the ladder at the same second, ready for anything.  
In the dim light of the hallway, in front of the always open doors, stood Lime.  
His hand was pressing against a spot on his stomach, he was hunched over ever so slightly, trying to hold himself up by pressing the other against the wall.  
Blue’s weapon was in his hand, but still hidden.  
“… Lime…?”   
“… _something bad happened, sir… I messed up… didn’t pay attention_ …”   
Out of all the things Lime could have said.  
Slowly Blue extended his weapon, his mind made up.  
Either this wasn’t Lime, or, if it was Lime, whatever attacked him allowed him to live for a reason… for a benefit…  
 _He wouldn’t allow these creatures any tactical advantage.  
_ At any cost.  
It didn’t seem like Lime was taking any note of the weapon that started to glow and hum in the dark.  
 _“… Captain… am I… am I still part of the crew…?”_   
He stumbled forward; Blue moved backwards.  
“ _I- I know I messed up- but there are still tasks… I have to do… there are things to do…_ ”   
As he stumbled, his hand phased through the wall-  
The same second as the spear pierced him, burning it all away.   
For a moment, the Captain remained unmoving.   
Whatever it was, it had vanished.  
Disintegrated, not with blood and guts, but…  
 _… like paper._  
Paper dolls.  
Slowly the Captained lowered his weapon.   
It was gone.   
“… you will always be a member of this crew, Lime. _No matter what_. I am sorry I could not protect you, but I will find the person who did this to you.”   
It was silent.  
Whatever it was, it hopefully would allow Lime some dignity and leave his form be.  
That was all he could-  
  
‘… _how generous of you, Captain_.’  
  
Suddenly the panel behind him started glowing blindingly, loudly cracking with electrical energy, the sudden mess of noise and light causing Blue to wince as he tried to turn around as quickly as possible.  
Lime was standing-  
No that wasn’t Lime.  
The color was deeper.  
More intense.  
 _Fortegreen._   
_What the hell was Fortegreen-  
_ The being talked, it’s helmet breaking open bit by bit.  
 _‘… my Captain…’_  
The visor had shattered completely by now, revealing a thin outline of a row of baren teeth and a mess of eyes.  
Instantly Blue got ready for a fight again, feeling no worry, no fear, only the grim, cold rush of adrenaline, like in any fight. Thinking about potential death, potential injury, it all didn’t matter, it all didn’t make a difference, once you dedicated yourself to a fight, all of your mind has to melt away, only leaving the instinct. If you wanted to survive, any other thought was dead weight for the brain.   
He was ready to fight for his own life against anything.  
 _Everything._  
But the ghost moved back, it’s mockery of a face regrowing, as blood red spot grew over his chest.  
The voices it used had changed once more, turning into a plea again.  
 _‘Captain, my captain… we have been without a ship for so long…’  
_ Without any further hesitation, he moved forward, attacking.  
His weapon plummeted right through the ghostly body, into the panel behind the specter. One last time it lit up bright, making a loud, screeching tone as the alarms were triggered, Blue vaguely registered that within a few minutes his crewmates would all arrive-  
Even more reason to finish this quickly.  
Whipping around, he tried to spot the creature made out of nothing but crumbling dust anywhere near him, the sparking of electricity moving up his back-  
 _But it was already behind him._  
Despite there not being any space there.   
  
_‘… we’ll try not to disappoint…’_  
  
Blue pushed his staff backwards, even if he was unable to hit the enemy with the blade, he would push it away from himself, buying him precious seconds, seconds he needed to turn around and-  
 _The panel was fixed._  
In disbelief he stared at the panel, before reaching out, letting his fingers brush against it.  
 _Not a scratch._  
Quickly he retracted his weapon and checked outside, waiting for his panicked crewmates to rush over and ask what the loud crashes were about-  
 _But nothing._  
The lights were back in perfect working order, being only slightly dimmed as it was nighttime and nobody was to roam anyhow. The alarms were quiet.   
… how was that possible?  
  
The next day, at their morning meeting, Blue ensured to include a short apology in case he woke any of them up.  
It was met with unanimous confusion.   
Everyone assured him that he didn’t wake anyone up, but wondered what exactly had happened.  
 _Nothing_ , he promised _. He just had a rather embarrassing fall. It felt loud to him at the time._   
After everyone had their tasks assigned, he asked to speak Pink.  
About the state of electrical.  
Before they were left alone Cyan joined them, shortly asking if he had anything to look out for.  
 _“… you shouldn’t go to electrical today. Not until we cleared the situation up.”  
“What situation, sir?”   
“… well… there is something wrong in there and we have to figure out what-“   
_“Pft.” Cyan chuckled. “… EVERYONE says that. Even Red! I wonder why.”  
For a moment Cyan looked at them as though he expected an explanation.  
All movements seized.  
He just… stared.  
Unphased.   
_Motionless.  
Dead._   
Then, after no answer came, he sprang back into motion, shrugging carefree.  
“I don’t ever see it… but I’ll leave once something starts happening, promise! Someone has to take care of it anyways, right?”   
With that he turned and walked down the halls.  
Accompanied by no one.   
As usual. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a few more prompts on the list:  
> Anger, Meme, Camera, Oblivious, Candy and of course Halloween.
> 
> But I kinda lack ideas and need to focus on some work for school, so:  
> Halloween WILL be a chapter, one focusing on another new Impostor "universe", so basically just me self-indulging. (I actually want to self-indulge more than I already do, heh. So be warned of future chapter with potential mind-manipulation and unhealthy relationships. I WILL of course warn though.)  
> For the others though, if you REALLY want to see one of these, then do tell in the comments, tell which and if you feel like it add an idea- otherwise I might just skip them, even if they're good prompts.
> 
> Anyways, until Halloween! Or earlier!   
> Have a good time!


	26. Impostober – Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since this one creature produced this construct called “irony” it seems as though the universe latched onto it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plenty of mind-manipulation going on in this chapter!  
> Also obsessive/controlling behavior and implications of body modification.  
> Nothing outright stated though!  
> (Too my own disappointment though not of the too shippy kind)
> 
> Written by Failure.

_It was Halloween when you found me.  
Fitting.  
You would always say.  
It was fitting.  
  
The party was going on in the other room.  
Humans making a mockery of ghouls and ghosts, playing with their own fears and dreams.  
You never liked it.  
You liked the ghouls and ghosts, yes, but you didn’t like how they huddled together, locking themselves into uncomfortable small rooms, their sweat, their touches brushing up against you, stumbling, the sounds of music, voices, of food, drinks-   
It all made you feel so appalled.  
Alienated, so to speak.  
So you were in the specimen room.  
Where it was dark.  
And you could breathe.  
  
Your secret passion.  
A talent you never were meant to pursue.  
Indeed, your talent was with all that was dead or at least brought it in its wake.  
You never lamented this.   
But when you had the chance, you sneaked off, trying to catch a glimpse at everything wonderous and unique, at creatures big and small that caused you to wonder.  
When you put the different things under the microscope, what did you think you would find?  
  
Did you expect to find me?  
  
You knew.  
When you looked at me, small and red, despite being too tiny for any color pigmentation-  
When you looked at me, so differently shaped than all the other cells around me-  
When your looked at me, so out of place and alone-  
You knew you were connected to me.  
Fascinating, truly.  
No face, no limbs, no voice, no eyes, no soul.  
Yet you managed to see yourself in me.  
Humanity is endearing like that.  
They did not lie when they talked about your kind.  
  
You removed me from the rest, as best as you could.   
Decided to try and provide me with energy.  
See if I could grow.  
If you could… help me.  
As you wished someone could help you.  
Duality killing you… there was nothing worse than being helpless and without agency, yet looking around you knew deep down you were as such, with no way to escape it-  
So you decided to project it all on me.  
  
 **And I consumed it with glee.**  
  
Little things, sugars, crushed to the tiniest powder.  
Where you delighted when you saw that I could in fact absorb it?  
Or did you feel a pit in your stomach grow?  
You hardly can recall it yourself.  
You cannot recall anything really.  
But I can do for you.  
I recall the fascination.  
The pride.  
I can recall how enamored you were with every little change I went through as I moved around.  
It brought you peace.  
I may not understand how, but it did.  
And while everyone else was gathered in the room down the hall, you celebrated Halloween by staying with me, glued to the microscope.   
  
I grew quicker than you could have predicted.   
In the beginning you were caught between wanting to talk about your discovery and keeping it your secret.  
But you knew I might be taken away.  
And you would be left alone.  
That was an incredible pain.  
I know.  
I know.  
People vaguely were aware that you found something interesting.  
You off-handedly mentioned it.   
But nothing more.  
And they didn’t ask.  
So you kept me away from everyone’s eyes and just kept giving me things, watching on so pleased as it disappeared within me.  
Little arms to grab, little mouths to chew.  
There was a pit in your stomach that you couldn’t quite explain yourself.  
Your head was happy, right?  
Mumbling something feverish about _“… bouncing like a screensaver…” _as you returned to the microscope, even if I was almost big enough to make out with the bare eye.  
_  
“Pink?”   
“Huh?”   
“Is… everything okay? You seem to be spacing out a lot recently.”  
 _You are fine._  
“I am fine. Why are you asking?”   
“… strange things are going on. Our rations are depleting at an alarming rate. We will have to break off course if this continues to find a place where we can more food. Have you seen anything? I don’t know how it can disappear like THIS- a-and the damn light keeps being cut. Something is WRONG.”  
“… you are paranoid. Why would anyone sabotage us?”  
“I-“  
 _I am hungry._  
“No matter. I have to go.”   
  
_You were proud watching me move on to sandwiches and pizza, you were amazed by my ability to break down more complicated material.  
Indeed when you put in wood and wool, out of sheer curiosity, it was break down as well.   
It had taken long enough, bit by bit, you hiding things and handing them over, letting me experiment with them.   
Even your own blood you let drip into the petri dish, a joyful day, living cells-  
You gave me all you could spare.   
All you could get.   
The distress of your crewmates when they couldn’t find their small pets left you could.  
There were so much more important things.  
Me.   
Your heart and mind on a little dish of glass.   
It was great.  
It was great.  
It was great.  
I was big enough to be carried by hand, joyfully you watched me latch on and climb my way around your body.   
Mumbling words of encouragement.  
Of course those I consumed too.  
The thought when I was going to stop growing didn’t cross your mind.  
IF I was going to stop growing.   
No it didn’t cross your mind.  
It was long gone.   
Other thoughts were more important.   
How to hide me for example.   
How to-  
_  
“Pink, I gotta be honest you… when we talked a few days ago, I was **\- WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?”**  
“I-“  
 **“WHAT IS THAT! OH GOD IT’S MOVING! WHAT THE FUCK PINK, WHY- THAT’S A- I WILL TELL THE CAPTAIN ABOUT THIS** -“  
“DO NOT- HE’S-“   
“ **HE!? PINK! SNAP OUT OF IT, DO YOU EVEN SEE WHAT’S ON YOU RIGHT NOW!? DON’T YOU SEE THE TEETH- DID IT BITE YOU!? DID IT DO SOMETHING TO YOU-** ”   
_The back of the head is bare.  
“You won’t be telling anyone shit.”   
_  
_Your machines were useful indeed.  
  
Nothing was left.   
And you watched me crawl inside the metal shell and feast, until I started seeping out through the cracks.   
You looked at me and knew.  
You knew what was to be done.  
We wouldn’t be safe.  
Not after the first person disappeared.  
  
You dismembered your beloved machine in silence, opening it up for me.  
_“Can you use this…?”   
_You could never have guessed how well I can indeed.  
We made our way around.  
All you needed was one night.  
All you HAD was one night.  
Communication was completely cut, there was no way to reach base.  
I applaud your clever nature.  
I couldn’t have found anyone better than you.  
Going as far as to tell me to not fully feed, to leave something behind for them to find, so they may rip each other apart…  
No, you didn’t want anyone escaping, but you needed the heat off you.  
You knew when to stay quiet.  
You knew when to speak up.  
Incriminating as many people as possible.  
No groups had the chance to form.  
No safety nets.  
They tried their hardest to get the ship back into a functioning form, so they could cry for help, into the void, where my brothers and sisters were still sleeping…  
But you were better.  
You were faster.  
More efficient.  
From the vents, from the shadows, you lured them around, to the reactor, to O2, back to electrical-  
I ensured they wouldn’t find anything too bothersome, that their feet wouldn’t stumble over anything that they shouldn’t.  
I fed.  
And with every bit of flesh I consumed, I told you a knew story.  
About my home.   
I like to think, even when your body was shuddering, you enjoyed them.  
  
It went so fast.  
But in the last moment, you lost focus.  
Shameful.  
The last two…  
_  
 **“W-WE SAW YOU! WE SAW YOU KILL GREEN!”  
“RESTRAIN HIM!”   
“WHAT- WHY DID YOU DO IT?!”  
“DID YOU KILL EVERYONE ON THIS SHIP!?”  
“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!”   
“S-SAY SOMETHING!”   
“YOU AND YOUR TERRIBLE, STUPID- FUCKING ROOMBA THING- WE KNEW IT, WE KNEW YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE-“  
**  
 _It was rare that the prey decided to step on top of the predator.  
I wouldn’t complain.  
Complain.  
Such a nice word.  
I learned it from you.  
Like all the others.  
_  
 **“WH-“  
“HOLY FUCK, GET IT OFF ME, GET IT OFF M-“   
**  
_Their screams are so high pitched.  
Is that a human weapon too?  
It doesn’t seem normal for your species.  
Ripping the air into pieces…  
… but I didn’t need air.  
Neither did you.  
Not anymore.  
  
You took care of the one holding you.   
Finally we were alone.  
  
You wanted me to put on the suit, I was too big to hide in a robot like yours still…  
… but I wasn’t strong enough yet.  
My form was still not big enough.  
But do not be afraid.  
I can follow your ship from the outside.  
  
Outside.  
  
Bring them outside.  
  
You would do that for me, right?  
For your only friend in this frozen star system.   
  
Wonderful.  
I knew you would.   
Just close your eyes  
Henry.  
We will be so beautiful.  
_  
  
-  
  
  
The new crew was nice enough.  
A bit of an odd bunch, but maybe that was what space did to you, when you were all isolated.  
Each of them space veterans in their own way.  
And it went smoothly, the first few days.  
Until an emergency meeting was called.  
“EVERYONE- I- GREEN WAS FOUND DEAD IN ELECTRICAL- I JUST- SHORTLY TURNED MY BACK- A-AND THEN HE WAS- CUT IN HALF- IN HALF LIKE- OH MY FUCKING GOD-“   
“Calm down, calm down- explain EXACTLY what happened.”  
Pink spoke up. “ _What do you MEAN you ‘just turned your back’. Are you taking us for THAT stupid?!”_  
“Wh-what are you implying!?”   
_“… if there is a killer here… it must be one of us.”_  
“Pink is right- Lime, are you SURE you didn’t see anything?”   
“That’s literally impossible!”   
“I DIDN’T- I was- I was focused on the wires-“   
“WHOEVER IT WAS WOULD HAVE LITERALLY PASSED YOU!”  
But once more Pink spoke up. _“… there ARE vents in electrical if I remember right… but then… everyone, where were you right before this meeting?_ ”   
  
A chorus of shaking voices and accusations echoed through the ship.   
In numb fear I looked outside.  
  
For a moment I thought  
  
I saw _something_ moving  
  
Behind Pink  
  
In the _stars_  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that was fun!  
> One of my favorite tropes honestly. And a reference to another fandom is in here ;3  
> I had a few small drawings for this chapter, since I was so excited, but since I'm more of a writer and less of an artist, I'm a bit too shy to just put it up, heh.  
> Maybe if I made a little niche companion tumblr to this... for asks and my silly doodles...   
> Would anyone want that? I don't know. I think it might be weird.
> 
> Anyhow, HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!  
> Be careful what you feed...


	27. Reactive Process

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Humans are quick react to stimuli.  
> Even if hey lack the necessary data.
> 
> Their solutions are the wrong ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for character death I suppose?  
> Even if not that major in my opinion.  
> The crew is getting thin quickly in this particular Universe, huh?
> 
> Majority written by FAILURE, with sections by The Friend, I'm sure you'll (as always) will be able to guess which!
> 
> ENJOY!

The emergency meeting button screamed through the halls, painting the walls red.  
Unlike last time, the air wasn’t filled with confusion and curiosity.  
 _It was filled with cold fear.  
_ The alarm might as well could have screamed-  
  


**_B O D Y R E P O R T E D_ **

Everyone gathered as fast as possible from all corners of the spaceship, dropping their task, knowing that their life might be on the line for this.  
 _Only one took his time as always.  
_ The reactor was a difficult tool to handle, simply leaving it mid-maintenance could cause a whole HOST of problems. Sure, it tended to have an emergency mode, in case of something terrible happening to the mechanic, but still, that should only be for the worst case.  
When Pink arrived, he was ready to shrug off any accusations. All he hoped for that at least time it was ACTUALLY serious, unlike before.  
Then again, technically it had been serious.  
 _Lime still hadn’t been found.  
_ It was safe to assume he was dead.  
There was no way anyone could hide on a ship for THIS long.  
More than a single week-  
The chance was astronomically low.  
 _Never impossible.  
Naturally.  
But it might as well be.  
_Quietly Pink sighed.  
Lime had been an okay guy. They never talked much, but when he did, it was relaxing to listen to him, especially since he wouldn’t stop and constantly demand the attention of his audience.  
If you had to leave during these rambles, he would take a few minutes to notice, then take it lightly, apologizing kindly when they ran into each other the next time.  
‘ _Must have not paid attention to how long I was talking! I’m sorry, I’ll try to be a bit more attentive next time._ ’  
He wouldn’t, but Pink didn’t have it in his heart to hate him.  
‘ _It’s okay_.’ He’d always say. ‘ _As long as you don’t mind me disappearing out of nowhere_.’  
Well.  
 _No need to cry about spilled milk._  
As he opened the automatic doors, the room was completely silent.  
 _Almost._  
There was quiet sobbing coming from the back, two people crying.  
One voice low, one voice higher.  
Stepping a bit closer to the table, Pink managed to spot Green and his son in a corner, Green cradling  
his boy, both of them shaking.  
Yellow was not present.  
“… _Yellow died?”_  
Pink’s throat felt a little dry as he asked that.  
Yellow was competent, confident and it was almost impossible to sneak up on her.  
Whatever got her must have been-  
“ _Yellow died.”_ The Captain coldly confirmed.  
Everyone was looking at Pink.  
“What… happened? Where? Do we know who it could have been?”  
“We actually hoped YOU could tell us that.” Blue started, and Pink’s fingers felt cold. “Green found  
Yellow’s _ripped apart_ body near the engine room. Close to the reactor.”  
“I- I didn’t hear anything.” Frantically he worked his brain to remember ANYTHING. “The engines are very loud. Much like electrical, it must be one of the most discrete places to commit a murder, especially considering that the ventilation system supports moving quickly from these far out places-“  
“YELLOW DIED AND THAT’S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY!?” Orange’s nerve had snapped on him. “NOT A- NOT A THING!? NOT A HINT OF SYMPATHY?! GREEN JUST LOST HIS WIFE- AND YOU’RE SITTING HERE GOING ON ABOUT HOW SKILLED OF A KILL IT WAS-“  
  


Red tries to calm him down, putting one hand on Orange's shoulder. "Please don't yell like this!" They try to comfort him. "What happened is a terrible thing, but yelling won't make it any better! We need to calm down if we are to figure out what happened!"

"But Pink has a point." Purple points out, cutting Red off. "The engines are loud enough to cover up anything that might have been heard. He would know out of anyone else, he works there in The Reactor."

"Yellow would _also_ know, because she maintains the Upper and Lower Engines, and look what happened. Something _horrible_ got to her, the poor thing got torn apart!" Red counterpoints back at his response.

"White," they ask him, who was sitting across the table from Red, his gray welder goggles folded in his hands. The orange-tinted glass lenses are hidden in the grip of his gray gloves.  
"You work on that side of the ship too, if she died on the lower end of the hall, wouldn't you have seen something?"

"But I wasn't there." White explains, scooting up in his chair. "I was in The Medbay with Purple when the alarm was called."  
"I can confirm that he was there helping me oversee the samples I was running. White opened my door coming in from the right, so he had to walk from The Cafeteria to see me."

"But what was he doing there in The Cafeteria?" Red asks again. 

"I had to take out the trash." He answers once more, his voice rising a little to be heard better. "It was the first task Blue assigned to me this morning, I still need to go to Storage to dump the chutes in there too. Purple asked me to come over through The Security's computer by email."

"So that means that Yellow and Pink were the only ones around each other on that side of the ship, before the body was found a handful of minutes later by Green." Purple recaps, folding his hands over ontop of the table. "He walked in on her corpse from the lower hall, coming out from Electrical, just like he said when he called the alarm."

Red faces Pink now instead of talking to Purple, albeit somewhat hesitantly, as if they didn't want to believe in what's been stated so far. Benefit of Red's doubt, perhaps?

"Pink, did you see anyone else around you before this happened?"

And just like that, the focus and attention has been circled back to the person of original suspicion.  
  
“... no. No, I have not noticed anything.”  
Something about this was WRONG, very WRONG.  
He couldn’t put the finger on it.  
Maybe it was how quickly and precise White could recap everything he had been doing, without any filler words, without any unnecessary information.  
It IRKED him, but-  
“... there is a fair chance not even I was there during the murder. Unless we have the EXACT time of death… I have to check the reactor at very regular intervals, but that does not prevent me from doing other maintenance work around the ship. I leave and come back. Someone could have passed that area, either by vent or by foot, without me having noticed.”  
A pathetic excuse, he KNEW that, but these were the facts and he couldn’t lie about the FACTS.  
He wrecked his brain for any sort of memory that could help him, for any type of solution.  
“I- I am a human. I do not have a weapon. I can do a medbay scan, you will see it there! I am a person-”  
The discussion broke back out.  
“You could be hiding the weapon.”  
“You could’ve messed with the medbay scanner!”  
Only Brown stayed quiet, as always, looking at Pink, seemingly emotionless under the helmet.  
Everyone seemed so inhuman, with their round visors, showing nothing. It used to be a comforting aspect to the work to Pink, yet now it turned into a hellish obstacle, something that would seal his fate.  
However irrational that sounded.  
If he knew who was willing to listen to him, he could-  
Blue pressed down the little button, a light flaring up above him.  
“I’m voting Pink.”  
Orange instantly followed, as though he had only waited for someone else to pull the trigger, now not having to feel alone.  
“I’m absolutely voting Pink!”  
Cyan had been quiet for this meeting, just throwing random thoughts into the room.  
“I’m skipping. I think we SHOULD try the medbay scan first. Or look for the weapon.”  
Angry Orange exploded at him.  
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? You’d rather have him kill MORE of us?! What’s WRONG with you, Cyan?!”  
Blue made a hand movement. “Let him vote. Nobody should be pressured into a choice.”  
Pink was standing on the spot, shaking.  
They would really vote him off now, wouldn’t they?  
Two dead.  
Two of twelve.  
It was too much.  
But if they threw him out, it would be three, and the Impostor was still unbothered-  
Who COULD it be?  
White?  
The next people shared their vote. 

Red kept their hands to themselves. "I abstain until further information, or at least the next meeting. Why _Pink_ , out of all people, go after someone like Yellow and _kill_ her, doesn't make sense. I refuse to believe that he is capable of _tearing someone apart_ anyways."

Purple doesn't say anything, and presses the button on the table with one hand without another word. 

"Your suspicion might cost the life of someone." White tells them. "Wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry? I would think so. I'm voting him off regardless, he's got the highest chance of being the person who caused all of this to happen." He too, presses the button.

Blue nodded slowly.  
“Yes- it could cost someone’s life. But We can’t ask from out fellow crewmates to vote on ending someone’s life without them being fully convinced. It would damage their psyche. We need to make sacrifices, but…” His eyes wandered around the cycle, where the lights were glowing. “… I think we already have enough together.”  
In utter disbelief Pink looked from one to the other, the empty helmets only reflecting his own rather pathetic body, being cornered.  
“Y-you cannot be serious. _It was not me. IT WAS NOT ME_!”  
“Too late.” Blue said, moving away from the table, towards him. “… _but if you’re a true crewmate, you’ll accept that this will ensure the one who did it will be caught. Eventually_.”  
“THIS WILL ENSURE ALL OF YOU ARE LURED INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY!”  
Brown and White came now from the side too, getting ready to drag him and bring him to the airlock.  
Like an injured animal he hissed.  
 _“I am not letting this happen.”_  
Within a split second he rushed through the doors, doors that promptly shut down, locking behind him.  
“HE’S SABOTAGING THE SHIP-“ Cyan said with shock. _You don’t MESS with the ship! You DON’T DO THAT! That was the first rule-  
_ Blue roughly hit against the door, the noise causing everyone to jump-  
Yet before anyone could ACTUALLY do anything, a flash of green made it past them, rushing the other direction, clearly aiming to go the long way around.  
“GREEN, NO, DON’T GO ALONE- HE’S DANGEROUS!” Orange called out, while Brown abruptly grabbed tiny Green, holding the confused and scared boy in his arms, preventing him from coming along.  
White and Blue shortly glanced at each other, then nodded, rushing after Green, planning to capture the Impostor all together.  
Looking after them, Brown gently petted the kid, shaking his head.  
 _“… where will he go? There is no way to escape. Nowhere to hide.”_  
Nobody answered.  
  
Pink had been running as fast as his legs could carry him, his breath going crazy inside the intercom- an intercom that he promptly cut, while stumbling through the silver hallways.  
If they came too close and heard his breath-  
 _Where- where could he go?!  
_ The ship was an entire damn trap.  
His brain was near a damn well shut down, all he had left was his body reacting, acting-  
Steps, in the distance, coming closer fast-  
 _Of course his feet let him into the room with the reactor, the only place where he felt safe-_ Roo chirped as it saw him _\- but he signed it to be quiet, the steps now close, the door would open-  
_  
Swiftly the doors swished open, Blue instantly stepping back, enough to evade any incoming attack-  
 _Nobody was inside.  
_ His hand hovered over his weapon as he crept inside, looking around.  
Nobody, it seemed.  
Not even the roomba.  
By all that was holy, _he had been so fucking stupid,_ allowing him to keep that stupid robot. He should have killed him that night. Now Yellow and her family had to pay the price.  
 _He wouldn’t hesitate any longer._  
Moving along, he approached the reactor, trying to see if Pink was trying to hide anywhere around it-  
  
Pink held the robot in his arms, only putting it down gently when the man in the room began roaming.  
Cowered into the little space between the reactor and the wall, his shaking breath echoed back inside of his helmet.  
Raising his trusty taser, he activated it, an almost inaudible, high-pitched hum vibrating from it.  
 _If he took out the regulator, he would run so much volt through the suit and body that nothing and nobody could survive it…  
… it would be only a few seconds, then he could get rid of him-_  
The Captain’s shadow shifted, moving closer.  
 _If- Pink moved out now, Blue wouldn’t be able to react at all, dropping dead before he even realized what happened-  
_  
His thumb felt so heavy and frozen as he moved it upwards-  
 _Pulling the lever down.  
_ The electricity instantly subsided.  
 _Closing his eyes, the Pink Guy made himself smaller, hugging Roo, perhaps the last time he would be able to do this-  
_  
Doors swished open.  
“CAPTAIN! Captain, he- he’s for sure still on the ship! We checked the vitals-“  
“… do you have any way to locate him?”  
“We’re working on it. Admin is not making it easy-“  
“Let me see for myself.”  
Two pairs of footsteps moved away quickly.  
  
Gasping for air, Pink allowed himself to breathe again, then he instantly opened his helmet, reaching in, crushing the communication device completely with his fingers after peeling it out of its protective shell.  
He would be deemed dead by the system- and not shown on admin.  
His fingers were shaking and he hoped nobody would see him on the map before he managed to take it apart. Roo blinked at him, quiet and concerned.  
Picking his little friend up, he opened them up as well, taking out the communicator.  
Before anyone would get any stupid ideas-  
 _He doubted anyone aside from him was actually able to do such a thing, but he preferred being safe over sorry._  
At least it was warm behind the reactor.  
Trying to peak out, he was thinking if he could get himself a few things-  
The doors swooshed open and he hid again.  
Footsteps made their way through the room, seemingly with no hurry.  
If his vitals were still active, it would probably be possible to see how his heart was beating in his chest, rapid and full of primal, animalistic fear.  
It felt like they came closer-  
Closer-  
Then another door swooshed open and the footsteps became quieter again.  
Pink sighed to himself, rolling up.  
  
Maybe he could get a few things-  
But only after everyone went to sleep.  
And while he was stuck…  
  
… he would make a plan on how to find the real Impostor.  
  
 _No matter what it would take._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you MISS little mini series on this book?  
> Because that might become one.  
> Welp-
> 
> Hope you’ll enjoy it!


	28. Bleeding Gear (4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I will not hurt others, or let any harm come to them."
> 
> "I will follow the commands given to me, unless they hurt me or someone else."
> 
> "I will protect myself as much as I can from danger and harm, as long as I don't hurt others while doing so."
> 
> You have been giving an order. Now you fulfill it.   
> The world can be so simple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE FRIEND CONTINUED AND I COULDN'T BE ANY HAPPIER, IT WOULD PROBABLY JUST END ME.   
> ENJOY THEIR WORK!
> 
> Oh, also minor note, but it's mention our characters are human-sized, so I felt like I should point that out, nobody is bean-sized in this universe, sadly.

The door slides open, throughly making The Broadcaster jump in their seat as they turn their seat around to see The Doctor walk in.

"That's- sir! Purple, what are you doing?" Red asks him, shocked to see  _ him _ of all people to be in their workroom. Purple stands there in the doorway, his height creating somewhat of an encroaching figure, being a handful of inches taller than The Captain himself. Purple (from what Red can see) stands somewhere at almost seven feet. 

He doesn't say anything, his helmet's visor looking a little down at the floor for several seconds. Red stands up slowly from their seat, pushing their chair in behind them in a cautious manner towards the silent man. It's…  _ unsettling,  _ at least, to see him be like this. 

"Purple," they ask more gently. "Is everything okay?" 

His voice sighs to Red's question. "Red. I need to be in here, and I ask of you to leave." Ah. That's- 

"What's going on?" They edge a little more. "Why do you need to be in here?" Purple's footsteps are silenced as he walks into The Communication Room, the carpet absorbing most of the noise. The air around him is starting to feel more  _ gray… _ something  _ must _ have happened. 

"The Captain commanded me to make a log of myself. I don't want to talk about it. Please let me use your computer, and I should be done in the next thirty minutes or so." His voice doesn't sound as it normally does. The tone, the usual, snappy attitude. It's not  _ there _ . His voice is low and soft, as if someone just hurt him.

"If you have a problem with this, then you should go talk to him about it. Otherwise I would ask you to wait somewhere else." 

"Purple, this is not okay." Red says almost immediately. "I don't like this, did something happen to you? Why won't you explain?" 

"I'll explain what happened  _ when I'm done, now go!"  _ He snapped at them, pointing at the door. Red flinched at his words, looking around for something now, before they make their leave. 

_ Never has he  _ **_really_ ** _ yelled at them like that before.  _

Their hands stumble around in the bookshelf along the wall, before grabbing a file and quickly leaving the room. 

The door shifts closed behind them, the quiet, mixed voices from Red's channels filling the air of the room now that Purple is the only one there. His hands are shaking, and he can feel his engine working itself to try and prevent him from overheating in stress, shaking in his chest. 

He's not okay. He didn't like that he yelled at them that way. He should know better, of all people. Red was just  _ worried,  _ and Purple basically just bit them with his words. Taking their chair, he sits down with his visor in his hands, his backpack off and on the floor next to him.

_ “I don’t care how long of an explanation it will be, I want a detailed explanation. I want someone to look you over under MY supervision. I need to know what you are potentially capable of. Also, you will be telling the crewmates about your identity. They have a right to vote if they are willing to trust you or not.” _

_ For a moment he looked him over. _

_ “… if you do these following things and do them exactly, if the crewmates agree and you stay transparent and upfront at all times… then I will personally deem you part of my crew and ensure your safety and equal treatment to all the others.” _

_ There was a pause. _

_ “… however… should any of these things not happen… we will deal with you accordingly, like an Impostor should be.” _

Blue's words are still ever-present in Purple's head. The alarm is still  _ there _ . That  _ he's a threat, a danger. He said he would deal with me otherwise.  _

_ Whatever danger or any potential harm to me, or the people around me must be reported to the authority at once.  _

But… Blue  _ is  _ the authority. He's The Captain, the person in charge. If he reported him to the rest of The Crew, wouldn't that be insubordination and an act of munity? Purple can't do  _ that,  _ he has been giving an order. 

But he remembers being thrown onto the floor. How his back still hurts from that. How a heated metal blade was aimed down at him. How  _ scary that was.  _

_ He could have killed him.  _

Stabbed him open like a paint can. His black oil would have gone  _ everywhere _ , if it weren't for the fact that the metal blade would have melted and evaporated any traces of what's in him. Heat breaks things down to the barest level, and would keep  _ going _ until whatever is subject to it is a charred mess. That's why things are preserved when frozen. Purple was  _ sure _ that Blue would have killed him right there.

But no. 

Whatever went on in his head was enough for Purple to  _ not _ get  _ horribly _ melted, and when he saw his face, Blue told him to stand. The machine doesn't even know if revealing his identity to everyone else will still save him. It's alot for him. Almost  _ too much.  _ Purple kept his helmet in his hands, his elbows propped on the desk, the keyboard waiting. 

He'll get to that in a moment. Please. Purple is  _ still  _ trying to recollect himself after what happened. How fast the mood has changed. It was something simple. An  _ accident _ , even. Cyan just- lied on the spot and said that he had a medical pass to clink his helmet with other people, like Red, and needed Purple's support. 

Now Purple might die from this because Blue  _ knows _ now that he's a machine. 

_ Blue…  _ Purple repeats to himself in his head. He still doesn't understand the man. 

_ "Stop equating humanity to weakness. I’ve grown above that.” _

How is humanity bad? Humans are  _ weak,  _ yeah sure, but that's not a  _ bad _ thing. That just means that they need help. Why is Blue so against that? Purple  _ knows  _ that he can't do everything himself, he's going to kill himself that way. No ship can't function without someone at the front line, and if Blue dies in any way the whole Crew would fall apart. What's it going to take for him to realize that? 

Purple sighs heavily and closes his eye, his thoughts running around in useless circles. 

How did this all happen. What went wrong.  _ What did he do?  _

His gloved fingers are gripping onto the sides of his helmet, absently running his thumbs along the gear that lets the helmet's visor be lifted up on a hinge, like a knight's facepiece. Everyone's helmets are built this way, as standard uniform attire. 

He remembers what it was like to hold Blue's. To have someone like that be so  _ close. He could feel the Captain's tension, his swift movement, he could feel how alert he was- how close he was- _

To have things just. . .  _ stop  _ for a moment. To feel. . .  _ real.  _ To actually  _ care  _ about something. The way things just clicked into something  _ new _ just by headbutting someone. 

They were right in calling it different. It  _ feels _ different. Something Purple  _ still  _ isn't sure about what it even  _ is.  _ But it's there. The new feeling is still  _ there.  _ Something new and confusing. 

His hand soften it's grip on his helmet. He held his face, closing his eye, feeling his posture dip until the visor hit the table underneath him. 

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  
  


It's not the same. 

Purple doesn't feel soft. He doesn't feel like he can just  _ relax _ in the arms of someone else, if there's no one actually  _ there _ . It's so  _ empty. It's lonely. He doesn't want to feel like that anymore.  _

It makes him feel  _ sad _ , he doesn't  _ like _ these new things. He wants  _ that  _ again, to have someone hold him. To talk to. To feel like he can sit down with. Purple wants  _ that.  _

  
  


_ He wants to feel safe again.  _

The sharp, almost indigo color of his dark purple helmet tumbles on the floor, the cyan-striped carpet receiving black stains from the desk. 

The heartbeat on his screen is vivid and fast-paced, and his eye is gone. His hands are brought back up to his face, the black oil slipping through his fingers. His shoulders are shaking as the corners of his screen kept leaking. 

He hates this. He hates this so _ much.  _ Purple knows that "crying" is just a response to overbalance in emotional input, but he still doesn't like it. It's just- everything has gone to shit so  _ fast. _

It's all too much. 

Purple brought himself a little closer, his voice gently shaking as he spoke quietly in the room.

_ "I will not hurt others, or let any harm come to them." _

_ "I will follow the commands given to me, unless they hurt me or someone else." _

_ "I will protect myself as much as I can from danger and harm, as long as I don't hurt others while doing so."  _ He told himself. Purple's only real assurance, is his own set of standards of morals. A good person wouldn't want to hurt others. A good person will keep an open mind and not judge. A good person will help those who need it. 

Purple tries his best to follow these. It's  _ hard  _ sometimes, seeing how he didn't really care about Cyan before until he talked with him this morning, and how he tried to kill Red last night. But it was with  _ good  _ intentions, at least. Or that last part was, anyways. He thought Red was a legitimate threat to everyone else, and thought that he could take care of it himself by killing them. Purple just wanted to make sure that everyone else felt safe too. 

But that sense of danger from them died off then they revealed that they're not here for sport. They're just. . . trying to survive until they get to their destination, even  _ if _ they have to eat bacon from the sandwich machine, if that means avoiding getting themselves caught killing someone. 

But these things Purple tries to keep himself to, they're not _rules._ It doesn't. . . _feel_ like that to Purple, but something of a guideline to him. An urge to keep him doing the _right_ things, and not be bad. He doesn't really get it, or understand why he's so adhered to them.

Purple doesn't really understand anything anymore. He just wants to… curl up and go to sleep. Hide away in the blanket that's down in his sleeping quarters. But the day isn't over yet, and people still have work to do. He doesn't know if he's going to be okay, but he can't just stay here forever, Red will come back eventually. This isn't his workroom, after all. It's Red's. 

Stifling another sob, he sits up, sullenly bringing the keyboard towards him as he opens up a new file. 

>LOG ENTRY- 10034-PD/SUN, 11-23, 1 PM

_ I do not have a name. My number is 109-SU, a prototype machine. I am seven feet and three inches, and I weigh 355 pounds. I run and work on two main power sources of an engine and battery. I do not know what I am built for, or why. I was created on The Genesis, a ship that was built primarily for the study of scientific research. I do not remember the people who worked on me. All I know is that I have been thrown away before completion, and my guess is that they have given up on completing me and my system for unknown reasons. I managed to re-activate myself and become back online again before they could disassemble me into pieces. I escaped by taking an unused uniform and forging information with an alias to walk out of the ship and leave.  _

_ They have taken to delete my memory and most of my coding, and I work off of whatever has been left behind, that's still inside of me in my programming. Whatever that is, I'm not sure, aside from basic health, care and defense protocols.  _

_ I have the level of understanding to that of a field medic. I know how to stop bleeding, stitching and perform small surgeries that can be done on my own. I cannot perform any medical actions that require more than one person at hand, or any more advanced procedures such as organ replacement or reconstructing a compound fracture. I only can do what I have learned so far.  _

_ I am more limited in my defensive capabilities. I do not know anything else aside from basic fistfighting and how to shoot a gun. I hold no memory of killing another person in any way, but I do know that I have shot at least someone once, by aiming at their leg while I was trying to leave my original ship. The gun I used is still with me in my desk in The Medbay, although I only keep it for self-defense and haven't wielded it on anyone else ever since that happened. I refuse to hurt others unless it is to protect myself or those around me.  _

_ I know The Captain wants someone to check me anyways with supervision, and I will suggest for Pink to do so, seeing his history of being a mechanic for this ship. I feel that he is the most capable of catching anything that I may have not known about otherwise. This will be known to the rest of The Crew since I have lied about my identity, since it is the rule that we should know who we are working with. Whatever they decide to do at that point is out of my control, I just wish for things to be okay.  _

LOG ENTRY COMPLETE 

_ \------------------------------------------------ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!  
> Until next time!


	29. Fortegreen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's one too many people on board.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had half a thought, then decided to run with it. Not Friend approved, but I don't wanna bug them, so I guess I'll have to ask you guys for feedback!
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy!

Lime was a simple man, really.   
He liked science and odd creatures from other worlds. Becoming a scientist on these different ships wasn’t without risk, but it also was the only path for him.  
After all, anything that arrived in a safe homebase tended to be certainly dead and most likely sterilized to the utmost degree. And that wasn’t even accounting for all the information that could be gained from reviewing where these things were found in the wild, all of which was lost on most crewmates.   
Being right there was helpful.   
Even if he was well-aware that impostors weren’t just an urban legend-  
He didn’t feel too scared.   
He'd live on in his scientific discoveries.   
That was all that mattered.   
  
The crew was always maximal a group of twelve.   
Each with their own assigned color code, role, and skillset.   
More than that was for some reason associated with bad luck, even if Lime never had been very sure why that was the case. Apparently there was just a string of misfortune attached to spaceships and crews that had in any way been associated with that number- and a little portion of superstition wasn’t bad.  
It weirdly enough could be the one thing keeping you sane while traveling the vast emptiness.   
However, this here would explain why he was surprised when he met the thirteenth member of the crew.  
For a second he had thought it was Green- but he had just passed Green and the hue was slightly different.   
A bit confused he approached, offering his hand.  
“Why, hello there! Uh. I think we haven’t met yet? I didn’t even know there was another member on deck. Code is Lime, what is yours? I’m sorry, I never saw this color code used before.”   
The other being offered his hand, shaking Lime’s.   
“… the code is Fortegreen. Nice to meet you.”   
And more he didn’t talk.  
  
Things had gone very wrong.  
Very, very wrong.  
Someone had sabotaged the reactor, that was an absolute nightmare-  
Lime rushed to the engine room, praying to find someone else there-  
 _In the middle of the floor was Fortegreen, ripped into two.  
_ Abruptly Lime stopped breathing, pure fear rushing through his veins.  
 _Oh god.  
An Impostor among them.  
_His steps became slow and quiet as he sneaked up, the pressure of the time ticking keeping him nimble.   
When he arrived at the room, he waited, peeked in-  
Yellow.  
 _Dead.  
_ Black.  
 _Waiting._   
Lime knew he couldn’t go in there alone-  
From across the hall he saw Blue and White approaching, rushing to get into the room-  
But before they could, they saw Lime’s frantic signing, his gesture of a finger to the throat. The sign of a murderer on the prowl.  
Instantly their demeanor changed, they nodded abruptly, getting out their weapon, and all three of them rushed in at once, stabbing the creature masquerading as a human through the chest, it’s dangerous, spiked tongue going limp very much instantly.   
As White and Blue rushed to stop the generator, Lime stared at the Impostor.   
Feeling cold.   
  
He changed ships after that experience.   
The crew parted often after an event like this, some retiring, some simply unable to cope with the memory of what had happened and how they had been tricked.   
Lime didn’t want to retire.   
He had won some valuable lessons from the last Impostor, something that might help him out next time- or others if the HQ deemed the information valuable enough.  
Sabotaging the reactor, then getting ready to pick off everyone who arrived one by one-   
These predators were rather smart and willing to handicap one of their senses- in this case hearing- to be able to finish the job quickly.   
Lost in those thoughts, he hardly listened to the introductions of the other crewmembers he met, just nodding, shaking their hands and moving on.  
At least until-  
“… the code is Fortegreen. Nice to meet you.”   
Abruptly he jumped up, staring at-   
Fortegreen.  
THE Fortegreen.   
The same height!  
The same voice!  
Was he going insane?!  
“U-uh-“ He stammered, in a panic. “F-fortegreen?! I thought you were- you were dead-“   
Slowly the crewmember tilted his head in a confused gesture, then, after a few moments, he simply left the traumatized Lime behind, moving towards the next group of crewmembers.   
  
Things had gone very wrong.  
Very, very wrong.  
They were sitting in a circle, people had died and now it was on them to make a decision.   
Lime couldn’t bring himself to do so.  
He skipped, closing his eyes and praying to wake up.   
When he opened them up again, he sadly wasn’t in his bed.  
Instead he got to watch as two of his crewmates grabbed Foretgreen and dragged him towards the airlock.   
_It was so eerily silent.  
Nobody muttered even a single thing.  
It was like the emptiness of space had joined them inside-_  
It was abrupt, how he was sucked outwards, then steadily floating into the nothingness, staring at the window-  
\- Lime staring back out at him.  
They would later find out he hadn’t been the Impostor, but at that point Lime was already too overloaded to even care anymore.   
He changed ships after that experience.   
He hoped that there was some way to escape this terrible nightmare scenario.   
Yes, he had been ready to die for his craft-  
But he hadn’t been willing to watch others die for it.  
However, he couldn’t stop.  
He took a deep breath and decided to try and be more cheerful and kind, while also not getting too attached to them. Best of both worlds… and the only thing maintaining his sanity.  
A few rides with the new ship went actually quite well, but then-  
He froze when he spotted him.  
Just added himself to the crew, out of nowhere.   
Standing there with them, listening as they were talking.  
Abruptly Lime walked up to him, staring into his reflective face-  
Slowly it raised its hand to greet him.   
“… the code is Fortegreen. Nice to meet you.”   
Without saying a word, Lime left again.  
  
 _This time nothing would go wrong._  
The thirteenth member was bad luck, a target fate put on them-   
And this time he wouldn’t let it happen.   
Lime simply asked Fortegreen to follow him in the evening, when most crewmembers had already left for their rooms, relaxing after a hard day.  
The specimen room had many different plants inside for the duration of the travel.   
They’d help Lime to take care of it.  
Quietly he asked Fortegreen to take a closer look at the plants-  
 _Then he buried an axe in the back of his head.  
Again.  
And again.  
He hacked him into little pieces.  
Small enough to be buried in the pots, next to the plants.  
It was a gruesome noise.  
The cracking, the wet smack that came from him removing the axe again-  
And it was so exhausting.  
But he couldn’t stop.  
Until all was done, until no piece was left.  
He unearthed all the plants and-  
_Puzzled he stopped as he looked at the roots of one of the plants.  
Then a wave of abrupt panic rushed over him, he triggered the alarm and ran to the meeting room, screaming.  
 ** _“THEY LIED TO US! THEY LIED TO US! IT’S A PARASITE! EVERYONE, EVERYONE NEEDS TO DECONTAMENATE IN MEDBAY THIS INSTANT, NOW, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE-“  
_** Only one had been contaminated.  
They had to put him down.   
But at least- nobody died.   
_… nobody ever asked him about Fortegreen._  
  
He changed ships after that experience.  
And he gave up.  
Just focusing on work.   
Doing his thing.   
When Fortegreen ended up back in the same crew after a few transfers, he didn’t even bat an eye.   
“Codename is uh- Lime. Obviously.”   
The ghoul took his hand.  
“… the code is Fortegreen. Nice to meet you.”  
He just nodded and both went their own ways after that.  
  
Things had gone very wrong.  
Very, very wrong.  
It wasn’t quite obvious if this was sabotage or if the machinery was faulty-  
But the place was burning, putting it out was not an option.  
All they had left were the escape pods-   
And not all were still functioning due to the heat and pressure.  
They were four.  
The pods were three.  
Panicked they looked at each other for a moment-  
Then Fortegreen stepped back.  
Everyone nodded in deep, pained respect at that sacrifice and got into their pod.  
Lime watched Fortegreen wave at him.   
Muffled explosions sounded, even drowning out the robotic voice that announced the start sequence out for a moment.   
Fire abruptly began consuming the room in front of him, but Fortegreen was not moving, still waving, still staring at him-  
Oh god, how was he supposed to be able to come back from this- if his oxygen tank was inflamed-  
And as if on command, suddenly Fortegreen was engulfed in flames, a giant one bursting right out of his back, to the ceiling, joining its kind.  
The fire in the same second spread INSIDE of the suit as it hungrily consumed the air that it had access to-  
 _For a second the entire inside of Fortegreen’s suit was glowing, and there was NOTHING, nothing but fire, pressing against the glass-  
_ Then his machine shot out.  
As he flew away, he could see the ship explode, turning into one of many wrecks that were scattered all over the universe.  
  
He changed ships after that experience.  
And this time, when he saw Fortegreen among them, he wanted to sob.  
Slowly he approached him, being signed to follow him along.  
When they were far enough away from the other people, Fortegreen stopped, turning to him.  
Lime tried to control the noises coming out of his throat, trying to twist the pain into an actually understandable sentence.  
 _“… why are you haunting me?”  
_ The man- creature- looked at him, empty, showing no kind of expression.  
 _“… whenever you show up… it’s- it’s terrible. Even for you. S-so- why?”  
_ Still nothing.  
No movement.  
Honestly, when he thought back, he couldn’t remember the being ever doing as much as breathing. No fidgeting, no twitches, nothing.  
Just.  
Nothing…  
“… please… what… what is going on…”   
At that finally a reaction.  
Fortegreen leaned in slowly, until its helmet was almost against his own.  
Then he spoke for the first time new words, words that seemed old and dry and cold-  
  
 _“… there’s an Impostor among us.  
  
And you  
  
Will be first.”_   
  
Frozen Lime stared at the being-  
Then he suddenly felt a wave of complete calmness wash over him.  
This was something he expected.  
Something he could handle.  
“U-uh. Thanks for letting me know.”   
The creature, as slow as usual, tilted his head.  
Then it reached out to put its hand on Lime’s head, repeatingly patting him on the head.  
  
 _“I am  
  
Proud  
  
Of you.”_   
  
“Th-thanks.” Lime repeated, his thoughts already fleeting, rushing off to the topic of his tasks, of what he had to do before he died, what he would leave behind and who should have it-  
But Fortegreen wasn’t done.  
  
 _“Stay  
  
Focused on  
  
Your   
  
Task.”_  
  
“… I will. I promise.” Weakily Lime nodded.  
And finally, just like that, Fortegreen left.   
He walked into the group.  
  
And he wouldn’t see him for the rest of his trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I disappear way too often, but in my defense, it's exam time, so forgive me guys!   
> Hope what I do put up is enjoyable enough to make up for it!
> 
> Until next time ^w^


End file.
